Find a way
by Hydrangeasia
Summary: In this story, I will start from the trail and take you on the whirlwind that is Fitz and Olivia's relationship in a version that differs in parts from the canon. This is how I wished it would have taken place with total romance, smut, angst and humor. Leave reviews because they excite me. XOXO.
1. Chapter 1

Cyrus called her the week before. Desperation clear in his voice. He begged her to at least come and take a look before completely rejecting his proposition. The chance to run a presidential campaign this early in her career was unheard of and she wasn't at all sure she wanted to turn it down but she also just made partner in her firm and she couldn't mess up a good thing unless she was absolutely sure it was worth it.

She flew out from New York to their temporary campaign office in New Hampshire. It was a chilly January day, her camel Max Mara coat was draped over her shoulders, Navy blue Theory chinos and a fuzzy Burberry white sweater, finished with a pair of nude and black leather Chanel ballet flats was her outfit for the day. Her hair was loosely curled and fell mid back and her makeup was barely there, consisting of only concealer, mascara and lip gloss.

She stepped out of her taxi and closed the door behind her. Luckily the taxi driver dropped her directly in front of the makeshift campaign office. She threw her Chanel black quilted purse over her shoulder and walked into the office.

She was immediately greeted by a volunteer.

"Hi, welcome to the Grant campaign office, how can I assist you?" the girl said pleasantly.

"Cyrus Beene is expecting me," Olivia responded politely.

"Olivia Pope Right?

Olivia nodded.

"This way."

The girl led her to Cyrus' office, Cyrus was in the middle of a phone call. So she stood in his office, looking around at the clutter.

Within a few minutes Cyrus was off the phone.

"Liv, thank you so much for coming, I can't tell you how much it means to me." Cyrus cooed as he ran over and hugged her.

"Well, I would hope so, I'm in the middle of a huge case and it wasn't easy making time to come see you," she scolded.

"You just made partner Liv, you're technically a boss there, you'll live."

She chuckled.

"So Cy, I know you didn't invite me here to make snarky comments about my job, what's going on?"

Cyrus sighed.

"Well, he's good Liv or else I wouldn't call you but something is missing. A piece from the lego set or a block from the jenga tower, I don't know and I've tried everything but I can't figure out what it is. That's why I've called you, my darling protege, take a look and tell me what you think, I need a second opinion."

"Based on the footage I've seen of him on the news I already have a pretty good idea of what's missing," she countered.

"Be nice, just meet him first."

"Okay, where is he?" Her voice was dripping with apathy.

"I think he's talking to the staff and volunteers in the conference auditorium. I have to make a few calls but check him out and tell me what you think and then I'll meet you once I'm finished here."

She nodded.

"Where is the auditorium?"

"Outside 2 rights then left." he replied.

"Got it."

She followed Cyrus directions to the hall, the double doors were open. He stood in the middle of the floor. He wore a pair a dark navy Brooks Brothers tailored slacks and a crisp white long sleeve button down shirt that was neatly tucked into his pants.

The first thing Olivia noticed was how tall he actually was, he was definitely over 6 feet, between 6'2 or 6'3 based on her guess. He was also very handsome, scratch that, extremely handsome. She could see his blue eyes all the way from the back of the room, his hair was well kept and his teeth were perfect. She looked around the room and saw the female volunteers hanging onto every word he said like gospel. She was sure it wasn't because of what he was saying, it was how he looked when he was saying it. She heard he had a reputation for being very charming and it seems that reputation was apt.

"It's not my stance on issues, I'm not gonna swing further right because that's not my belief on issues. The voters know that, I swing further right it's gonna look like I'm flip flopping. It's gotta be something else.-"

She sucked in a breath, 'here we go' she thought.

"It's because you and your wife look like you haven't had sex since you conceived your last child. You're a republican, one of the biggest fundamentals in your party is family values. That's why republicans vote for who they vote for, they want a family in the white house, a lovey dovey couple with cute perfect children, that represent the american dream. You and you wife, don't look, touch or speak to each other and people notice, that's why you lost Iowa and that's why you'll lose New Hampshire. George Bush ran on the fact that he had more integrity than Bill Clinton and screwed his wife, that's all he ran on, nothing else and he won," she said callously.

Fitz stood briefly speechless.

He took a few seconds to look at her, really look at her. She was one of the most beautiful women he's ever seen, she was tiny in stature and very well dressed.

He quickly realized his thoughts were trailing on and snapped himself out of it.

"And you are?"

"I'm Olivia Pope."

She turned around to see Cyrus with a huge disgusting smile on his face.

"I'll be in your office," she said so only he could hear.

She walked down the hall and then got a little lost by all the turns and doors that looked the same.

Everyone in the auditorium was still quiet. Fitz dismissed the staff and went to find Cyrus who already made his way back to his office.

When he stepped into Cyrus' office, Cyrus couldn't hide the huge grin on his face.

"Don't be so giddy Cy, I don't know who she is but I don't want her here, FIRE her!" he ordered.

Olivia finally found her way back to Cyrus office, she saw Fitz's arm hanging outside of wall once she was close enough to hear their conversation.

"Oh god she's good. I can't believe I've been missing that the enter time it was so obvious," Cyrus chuckled.

"Fire her!" Fitz repeated.

Olivia was a little insulted, not because he wanted her fired, she was used to rich brats throwing tantrums when someone stood up to them, but because she wasted her time coming there in the first place.

"I didn't even hire her as yet, I don't know how I'm going to get her to agree to work with us, I suppose I could try to guilt her into it," Cyrus said more to himself than to Fitz.

"Do not hire that woman Cyrus!"

"Listen we're a package deal, Olivia Pope is one of the smartest, most perceptive people I've come across and she figured out a problem after having met you for 30 seconds that I haven't been able to figure out in months, so we are hiring her and if you really don't want her here then I can't stay either."

FItz rolled his eyes.

"You're not going anywhere Cyrus but she is, fire her and I mean it."

Fitz turned around only to bump into Olivia who was standing there the entire time.

She cleared her throat softly, it was throwing Fitz off that she had a slight smirk on her face. 'How can she be so arrogant' Fitz thought.

She walked over to Cyrus and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek, Fitz felt his heart race at the sight of her lips touching Cyrus' face and instantly felt a pang of jealousy.

"It's been fun Cyrus."

She smiled pleasantly and then headed out the door.

Cyrus realized she was leaving.

"Come on Liv, he didn't mean it," he plead

"I'm going to raid the minibar at the hotel and I'm going to charge everything to your campaign. Good luck Governor Grant," she threw over her shoulder as she strutted out.

Cyrus palmed his face.

"You better go get her right now or I quit," Cyrus screamed through clenched teeth.

"Oh god Cy, you are so dramatic-"

"Go get her! Now!" Cyrus yelled.

Fitz turned and realized she had disappeared from the hallway, so he half sprinted to find her. He turned a few hallways and then saw a tiny woman walking towards a double door, he was a little confused because it wasn't the exit.

He sped up and stopped right behind her.

"Ms. Pope?" he called.

She stopped and turned around.

"What?" she answered rudely and then turned and started walking again.

"Can I talk to you for a sec and I also think you're going the wrong way, this isn't the exit."

That caused Olivia to stop.

"It seems I'm worse with directions than I thought, so are you going to tell me where the exit is?"

"No, I don't want you to leave."

"Why?" she asked.

"Why, don't I want you to leave?"

"No, why did you 'fire' me, is it because I told you what everyone else was too scared to tell you. I run the risk of sounding condescending but if you intend to be president you're gonna have to grow thicker skin. I took time from my very important job as a favor to Cyrus and I am not happy that I've wasted my time. "

"No, you didn't, I actually agree with everything you said."

His eyes caught her eyes and they locked for a moment and then she knew.

"So that's why you fired me," she said more to herself than to him.

She was a little flattered and insulted simultaneously but she wouldn't let him be privy to that.

She let out a short breath.

"I'll stick around for today and then I'll make my decision," she said quickly and walked away.

She went back to Cyrus' office.

"Oh thank god and I'm an atheist so-"

Olivia chuckled.

"I think we should sit down with him and the wife so I can get a better idea of what you're working with."

Cyrus sighed relief.

"Great, just give me a minute to get them together."

Cyrus called both Fitz and Mellie to the small office room so they could all speak with Olivia. After about 5 minutes, Cyrus was able to get them all in the same room.

Cyrus plopped himself down on the chair exhausted, Olivia walked in behind him.

"I think a formal introduction is a great way to start," Cyrus began.

Olivia could feel Mellie and Fitz's eyes wash over her, both in different ways.

"Fitz, Mellie, this is Olivia Pope."

Mellie turned to Cyrus.

"Cyrus how old is she, she looks like a teenager," Mellie asked incredulously.

Cyrus sighed annoyed.

"Firstly, don't talk about me like I'm not in the room and secondly, I am 28 years old, I'm no child and I haven't been for quite some time."

Mellie smiled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it in an offensive way, I just can't believe you look so young."

Cyrus began again, annoyed at Mellie.

"As I was saying, this is Olivia Pope, as former student of mine. She is the youngest lawyer ever to make partner at Sullivan and Cromwell firm and fortunately she is my great friend and almost daughter and is willing to help with the campaign."

Mellie's icy glare quickly turned into one of admiration.

"Wow, I must say I'm impressed, Sullivan and Cromwell is one of the top firms in the country."

Fitz was quiet, he just sat back and watched her.

"Olivia you have the floor," Cyrus instructed.

She took a deep breath.

"Okay look I just made partner less than a year ago and I'm giving up a lot personally by handing cases off and taking a leave of absence, if I do decide to stay I need to know that you will work with me and not throw a tantrum every time I constructively criticize or give an opinion on an issue."

Both Fitz and Mellie nodded.

"Now that's out of the way, you guys need to fix whatever situation it is, that's going on. You have to sell this whole world's best marriage idea, that's what voters want to see. You don't touch each other, you don't talk directly to each other and you don't look at each other. Right now guys are sitting as far away as possible from each other, to the point where the Governor is almost not sitting at the table at all."

Mellie was about to say something but Olivia cut her off.

"I don't care about your personal situation but I'm just letting you know that this is how it needs to be on the outside. So whatever you guys need to talk about, you should probably just hash that out now if you want a shot at the whitehouse."

"Miss Pope, I think you are mistaken," Mellie said through clenched teeth.

Cyrus sighed.

Olivia smiled at Cyrus' overly dramatic mannerisms. FItz stifled a laugh as well.

"Listen, like I said I don't know you're relationship personally and I don't care to, but this is what people's issue with you is, so I need lovey dovey, butterflies in stomach romance from now on. Cyrus and I will give you moment to talk it over."

Olivia got up from her chair and Cyrus followed.

They stood outside the door, while Fitz and Mellie went at each other's throats and screamed over each other.

"Whatever quips and qualms and quarrels you have to get off your chest, do it now," Fitz started.

"Since you asked, I hate your guts, I still can't believe I made you knock me up," Mellie said icily.

"Are you done?"

"Do not condescend me Fitzgerald!" Mellie screamed.

"I'm so tired of you telling me I knocked you up, how about you quit being selfish and be a mother to your child," Fittz screamed.

"I never wanted children, I told you that, so I'm sorry if I'm not nominated mother of the year to match your father of the year award. You whiny contemptuous bastard. "

"Then divorce me, so me and my daughter can live in peace you miserable hag."

Olivia's mouth dropped open.

"Oh my god Cyrus, it's bad."

Cyrus nodded.

After about 20 mins, Fitz and Mellie came out to meet Olivia and Cyrus.

"Miss Pope, I think we have come to an agreement and we'd love to have you, if you'd have us," Mellie said with a smile.

Olivia could still see the tenseness in their bodies when they got close to each other but she was never one to back down down from a challenge.

"Well I'll reach out to you in a few days with my decision, it was lovely meeting you both."

Mellie rolled her eyes and stormed off.

Fitz grinned at his wife's behavior, anyone that pissed Mellie off was cool in his book.

"Okay Ms. Pope, we look forward to hearing from you," he smiled like the entire exchange that took place moments ago never happened, he was a perfect politician.

Fitz shook her hand, momentarily hanging on a few seconds too long because he was surprised how soft and small it felt in his hand. I didn't go unnoticed by Olivia.

When Fitz left Cyrus started on her case.

"A few days Liv, I need you as soon as possible."

"Calm down grandpa, I just need to go back to New York to sort out a few things, it'll take me a day, tops. I already got approved for the leave of absence so that's not the issue."

"Oh lord, great. So it's definitely a yes then. How did they give you that quick."

"You know they press it would generate for the firm if one of their partners managed the campaign of a presidential nominee and won. Cy I do need to go home for a day or two though. I just need to get some things in order I won't be home for a while after that," she chuckled.

Cyrus wrapped her in a tight hug, Fitz saw them from down the hall.

"Thank you Liv, you won't regret it," he said happily.

She arrive back in New York later that night. When she got to her apartment Abby had her kitchen table filled with freshly baked cupcakes, cake pops and cookies, beautifully decorated and garnished.

"Abby, these look good, can I help myself?"

Abby came walking around the corner and Olivia was already eating a cupcake and a cookie at the same time.

"Why ask, you always do," Abby chuckled.

"Because they always taste like heaven...mm-hmm."

Abby sat at the kitchen stool beside Olivia.

"So how are you feeling today?" Olivia asked casually.

"Better everyday, the bruises are fading too."

"Good, I want you to get back out there as soon as possible, you're way too hot to be cooped up at home all day."

Abby chuckled.

"Thanks, how was your trip, is the governor as handsome as they make him out to be?" Abby questioned.

"He's not, he only looks good on the camera I guess," Olivia lied.

"That sucks, eye candy would have been nice but are you gonna take it?"

"Yea, I'm gonna do it, his wife is a serious brat and so is he, but he has something I can work with."

"Aww I'm gonna miss you, when are you leaving?"

"Day after tomorrow, I have one day to pack. I don't even know where to start and the downside is that I'll be travelling so much, I'm practically gonna living out of a suitcase, I can't think of anything worse," Olivia chuckled.

"I don't know how you're gonna fit all those gorgeous pairs of shoes you have in there," Abby remarked sarcastically.

"I can't which is why I'm probably ask you to ship me stuff every once in awhile."

"Oh okay that sounds more like you," Abby teased.

"Can I have one more of these?" Olivia asked with her mouth full of the last bite of cupcake.

"Liv me and you are the only two that live here, if you don't eat them, who will?"

Olivia laughed and shook her head. She couldn't say anything because she had already dug into another cupcake and her mouth was so full she could barely chew.

"Cyrus, how did you and Olivia meet?" Fitz said as he walked into Cyrus' office.

"We met at Princeton, she was in my political science class and she was so bright that I didn't feel the need to teach her instead I had her help me teach the class. We've been close ever since."

"Where is she from? And why is she so smart according to you?" Fitz asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Cyrus countered.

"I can't ask questions about the woman who is suppose to be running my campaign with you?"

Cyrus realized his questions were valid ones.

"She's from New York, she still lives there. She went to the best boarding schools in the world, St. Anne's in North Carolina. Ecole des Roches in France, Westminster school in England and Surval Montreux in Switzerland. When she came to Princeton she was practically already college educated, she sailed right through."

Fitz raised his eyebrow.

"Her parents must be pretty high up to get her into those schools."

"I've never met her parents and she never talks about them so I don't know but she's perceptive and intuitive as hell so we could use her here and she's giving up a lot by leaving Sullivan and Cromwell even if it's only temporary so please try your hardest to make nice with your wife, so this can work out great for all of us."

"I will," Fitz promised and then turned out.

That night he dreamed of Olivia, her soft skin, her big brown eyes and her long shiny hair. He was a little annoyed he could keep her out of his head so in the morning when we woke up he decided that he would strengthen his resolve and make sure that when Olivia came back he could keep it strictly professional between them. The last thing he needed in his life was a distraction in the middle of running the biggest campaign of his life.

The next day Olivia woke up early in the morning. She knew she only had on day to get all her affairs in order. She wanted some company to run errands but Abby refused to leave the house because some of the bruises her ex-husband Charles left on her were still a little visible.

At first she ran to her law firm and when she was done there she went to the salon, she figured she'd be on the road for a long time and wouldn't have time to pamper herself.

In the afternoon, she made her way back home to pack and get some much needed rest and mentally prepare herself for what she was signing on for. She still had a few cases that she would have to work on because they were just too big to drop so she would have to fly back the NYC a few times but that was the least of her problems.

Her last day in New York went by really quickly. With the New Hampshire primary coming soon, she knew She was needed immediately and when she got to the campaign office around midday after she landed, it was a mad house. Everyone was running around like a headless chicken and she knew there was nothing major going on so there was no reason for that.

"Cyrus I'm here, what's going on?"

"We just got a new wave of volunteers and we're having a hard time placing them. Meet me in my office, I'm going to have to send some away because this shit is crazy," Cyrus said as he threw his hands up in frustration.

Olivia went back to his office to wait for him.

When Cyrus walked in he was accompanied by the owner of Doyle Industries and a well known judge.

"Olivia meet Hollis Doyle and Verna Thornton"

"Verna and Hollis, this is Olivia."

"Hello," Olivia said pleasantly.

"Why hello Olivia, aren't you one beautiful woman," Hollis said in his southern accent.

"God Hollis, leave the poor child alone," Verna interjected which caused Olivia to chuckle softly.

"Okay let's get to business, we have a president to make," Cyrus announced.


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia had Fitz and Mellie following her every instruction, she told them how to touch, how to caress each other when they thought no one was looking because someone always was. She had them on every interview lovey dovey. Fitz went from 3rd place in the polls to 1st place. He won New Hampshire by a landslide. After New Hampshire, he won state after state. He won all of the caucases since Olivia joined the team. That made her a valuable asset.

During that entire month, Fitz tried to keep his glances and hands to himself but it was hard, she was so perfect, she way she smiled, the way she was kind but still drove fear into people's hearts at the same time. As much as he tried to behave, he couldn't keep his eyes of her and he knew she could feel when he was watching her.

Her first month at the campaign was better than she expected. Her and Cyrus were running things smoothly. Occasionally she would have to take a day to fly to New York from wherever in the country she was to deal with a case and every chance Fitz got he flew out to visit Karen, how was 6 years old and living in California. The situation between her and Mellie got better, they were cordial, actually more than cordial, Mellie hung on to her every word, much like everyone else. The awkwardness between her and Fitz was also at its peak. He eyes were always on her and every time they were, she could feel it. She didn't know how or why she knew that he was watching her, she just knew that her skin would feel like it's on fire and she would turn around and there his eyes were, piercing her.

It was the morning before the Alabama caucus, both Mellie and Fitz had an interview. Mellie had a rack of clothes to pick from.

"Liv? Can you come here for a sec please," she called.

Olivia gave final instructions to a few interns and then headed over to Mellie.

"What's going on Mellie?"

"I can't decide which dress is best, the Armani or the Donna Karan, you have a great sense of style, what do you think?"

"The Donna Karan."

"I thought the Armani was a better choice."

"It is a better dress yea but it's not the one you should wear, it's too flashy, the country already knows you and Governor Grant are extremely wealthy, they don't need reminders, that doesn't work in your favor."

Mellie huffed.

"Fine, you know Olivia, it's not like you walk around wearing old navy, I've seen you in nothing but high end designers since you got here."

She wasn't lying, Olivia outfit for the day consisted of a blush pink mid thigh A-line Valentino dress and nude Christian Louboutin So kate pumps. Olivia had a few news program interviews of her own.

"I'm not running to be first lady, no one cares what brands I wear."

"Olivia I need you," Fitz called across the room.

She walked away without saying a word, sometimes she didn't have time for the drama with Mellie. She tried not to involve herself in their relationship but sometimes she just couldn't help but wonder how Fitz but up with her. The more she got to know Fitz the more she realized he wasn't exactly a brat, as she had thought before, he just had no tolerance for people who annoyed him. She also couldn't understand how Mellie never wanted to be around their daughter, she couldn't imagine having a child and not wanting to see her, the way Mellie did.

She made her way over to Fitz who was across the auditorium and stood right in front of him.

"Governor?"

"Which tie for the interview?" he asked.

She took a look, she didn't like either.

"Both of these suck, any other options?"

An intern was passing and was wearing a teal blue tie, she stopped him.

"That's a great tie, can I have it, handsome?"

He looked nervously.

"Uhm ye-yes Ms. Pope," he stuttered.

He took it off quickly and handed it to her and took off.

FItz chuckled.

"This one, it brings out your eyes."

'Did I just flirt with him' she thought. 'Oh my god that's not good, I didn't even realize I was doing it.'

She saw the shock on his face, he was surprised she did it, she was mostly the professional one.

She found someone who needed to her and walked away quickly, which cause Fitz to chuckle, he could tell she was a little thrown off by her behavior.

The interviews went very well for Fitz and Mellie, as well as Cyrus and Olivia's and it was yet another successful day for the Grant campaign.

It was early March. Fitz was still winning most of the caucuses and ahead in the polls. It was a rather hectic day in the headquarters. It was the day before the debates of all the candidates and it was going to be a bloodbath because everyone was aiming for the jugular.

Olivia was walking around making sure the volunteers were on task. As usual Fitz was watching her, whenever he could. There was this one girl in particular that seemed to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Olivia walked over to her.

"Hi Alessa, what's driving you crazy?" Olivia asked gently.

Alessa was a 20 year old college student, who had been volunteering since the beginning of the year.

"This thing won't go into the format I'm trying to put it in and Cyrus said I need to have these done by like… I don't know 20 minutes ago," Alessa said in a panic.

"Alessa it's okay, calm down, we're not saving lives, not yet," Olivia chuckled softly.

"Scoot over, let me see what's wrong here," Olivia told her, Fitz watched and listened intently.

Olivia sat beside her on the chair, Olivia was small, no more that 110 lbs and Alessa was a little heavier but they both fit perfectly fine on the chair.

Olivia scrolled through the document on the computer screen for a few seconds, troubleshooting until she figured out what the problem was.

"Oh, I see that the issue is, change the attributes, the person working before you must've saved them in the wrong format, no biggie," Olivia giggled.

Alessa sighed relief.

"Oh thank god, I thought it was me."

Olivia pondered.

"Alessa, you need a break, I'm gonna give you my card and you can go and get yourself something to eat, I'll finish this up for you."

"Are you sure?" Alessa asked.

"Yes sweetie, go relax for a little while and come back refreshed."

"Oh my gosh, thank you," Alessa said joyfully.

Olivia walked with Alessa to her purse and gave her, her credit card and then went back to Alessa's desk to complete the document.

Fitz walked over to her.

"You know you should've charged that to the campaign, right?"

"It's only $20 but don't say I never made my contribution for the Grant campaign," Olivia countered.

He chuckled at her sass.

"I would never."

The next morning, the minute Olivia stepped out of her hotel room, Cyrus was there.

"Liv you have got to see this!" Cyrus screamed.

She rushed behind him as fast as she could and went to the hotel conference room, where the temporary campaign office was.

When she got in the room, Fitz and Mellie, Verna and Hollis were there. Verna had been on the trail a several times, she and Olivia actually became friends and Hollis had been there one other time since she met him.

"Good morning Olivia, you look beautiful as ever," Hollis complimented but she ignored him.

Fitz raised his eyebrows are Hollis' greeting.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Cyrus pointed to the television.

BREAKING NEWS

"Governor Grant, presidential candidate's wife Mellie Grant caught in photographs with Literature professor Paul Mosley, who claims they are having an affair."

"Shit," Olivia said flatly, if you weren't close enough, you wouldn't hear it but everyone heard it including Fitz.

"Okay we need to fix this now, I'll deal with Paul Mosley, Cyrus you get on T.V and try to control the narrative. We're gonna lose this debate tonight and we're definitely gonna drop in the polls but if we can get on top of this quick, the damage won't be irreparable."

"Liv, aren't you gonna ask me if I did it or not?" Mellie asked.

"I don't care whether you did it or not," Olivia said hastily and pulled out her phone.

Cyrus couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips.

She knew she could need the help from Huck but he didn't have a phone because he was homeless and he wasn't even in the town she was in, so she knew she couldn't contact him until she was back at the campaign headquarters in D.C.

Olivia dialed the first person she could think of to get on top of this.

The phone rang 3 times.

"Liv, what's up?" Harrison greeted over the phone.

"I need a favor, Harry, I'm gonna need you on standby okay," she said quickly as she walked further away from the group of 5 so she could have some privacy.

The next morning when she was back in D.C., and went out early in the morning to search for Huck. she didn't have to look far, he was in his usual spot. She gave him a cup of coffee and a croissant, she brought for him from the hotel.

"Huck, I need your help.

Huck never told her no. He followed her back to the campaign headquarters, when he entered everyone stopped and stared. Huch was in full hobo mode and some looked in horror while others looked in disgust.

"Ignore them," Olivia said softly as the walked over to Fitz, Mellie and Cyrus. She saw their eyes open wider the closer they got towards them.

She sat Huck on the couch and called the group over towards them. She handed Huck her laptop and gave him instructions to find what he could on Paul.

Cyrus called her over to him, Fitz and Mellie.

"Liv, who the heck is that?" Cyrus asked.

"That's my friend Huck."

"You're friend?" Mellie said scornfully.

Fitz was quiet.

"Yea the friend that's hacking into Paul Mosley's bank accounts and email right now to see if anyone blackmailed or paid him off to say you two were sleeping together, the fastest way to discredit a story is to prove someone was coerced or paid to tell it."

They were all quiet.

"Hey Liv, I got something," Huck yelled.

She walked over quickly to Huck, the rest of them followed.

"What did you find Huck?" she asked.

"I found small payments over the last 30+ years from Tiny Step Productions, NY, NY, for 30 cents, $2, $5.47 and so on and so forth."

"That's hardly incriminating," Fitz remarked.

"Uh governor, small payments are interesting and in his email, there is a threat of messages from an email where they correspond about a releasing a video, it seems they are blackmailing him," Huck began.

Olivia wasn't interested in listening to Huck explain it to Fitz, she pulled out her cell and called Abby.

Abby answered on the second ring.

"Liv?"

"Abby before you kill me no I didn't forget about your birthday and secondly I need a favor, like get dressed right now, I need you to visit a company called Tiny step Productions, I'm gonna text you the address and Abby, for christ sake please stop baking, I can hear my mixer in the background and I'm not there to eat any of those cupcakes anymore so what's the point. Call me when and let me know when you're there," Abby was about to say something but Olivia hung up.

Fitz stopped paying attention to Huck, Olivia the second she said 'Abby'. He found her conversation amusing, she was always so professional with him and laid back with everyone else except for the few times she slipped up and flirted with him.

About 2 hours later Abby called.

"Liv, it's a porn production company," Abby chuckled in her usually judgy tone.

"Really?" Olivia asked surprised.

"Yep. make sure you get the night off for my birthday, I'm not kidding Liv."

"I will, I promise, I have to go," she hung up and went back over to Fitz, Cyrus and Mellie.

"Great news everyone," she announced.

They all turned and gave her their attention.

"Tiny Step is a Porn Production company."

"What?" Mellie choked out.

"Yes, and he's been getting royalties from them for the past 30 years so obviously he either starred in one their films or directed one, either way it doesn't look good for him and it seems someone is trying to blackmail him with that info," Olivia said matter of factly.

"So how can we stop him?" Fitz asked.

"We just have to make sure he's more afraid of what will happen if he doesn't deny the rumors," Olivia said with a smirk.

Huck found his porn tape and Harrison did his thing and sweet talked him into deny all rumors of an affair with Mellie and by the next morning, the entire narrative change and all the media cared about was that Paul lied.

Mellie and Fitz thanked her profusely and were quite impressed that she able to kill the scandal within 48 hours.

A week later, it was Caucus voting in Nevada and it was also Abby's birthday which worried Olivia because she knew she needed to stay and assess the standing of the campaign since the scandal. They had gained ground in the polls but not where they had been before the scandal.

Everyone was crazy busy that day. Abby had flown down to D.C. from New York and was staying with Olivia at her hotel, they made plans to go partying in the night.

Olivia personal cell died halfway through the day, so she only had her work phone and Abby didn't have the number of her work cell.

Olivia was doing so many things at once, she didn't realize how fast the time was going by.

By the time the the polls closed and they declared the winner , it was Sally Langston with a narrow lead over Fitz.

They all gathered in Olivia's office to strategize about how to get back to the top.

"Fitz you need to call your father, the right loves him, he'll be able to rally the base back to your side," Cyrus plead.

Mellie and Cyrus had been trying to convince him to call his father for half hour, Olivia had no idea what the big deal with his father was, so she kept quiet.

"Come on sweetie, it won't hurt to just call him," Mellie added.

"No, I'm not -"

"Excuse me is this Olivia Pope's office?" Abby asked.

Olivia stood up surprised, she checked her watch and realized she was suppose to meet Abby almost 2 hours ago.

When she turned around and Abby saw her face, she scowled.

"Oh my god Abby I'm so sorry, time got away from me and I forgot," she said as she covered her face.

"I flew from New York for you, it's my birthday Liv, your suppose to fly to me."

Olivia tittered.

"I know, I'm sorry, if it makes you feel any better I you a really great gift, just let me finish this meeting and you can kill me after I swear."

Mellie cleared her throat.

Olivia turned around.

"I'm sorry, this is my best friend Abby, it's her birthday today," Olivia smiled at Abby in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Happy birthday Abby," Fitz said.

Mellie and Cyrus joined.

"Thank you all," Abby said, she was still annoyed at Olivia.

"Abby can you just give me a few more minutes."

Abby huffed.

"It's okay I think we can call it a night, Mellie and Cyrus were just failing to make their point."

Abby squealed.

"Thank you governor, now Olivia where is my gift?" Abby asked.

Fitz, Mellie and Cyrus began packing up their folders and documents.

Olivia stepped behind her desk and handed Abby a Jimmy Choo shopping bag.

"You didn't Olivia, Jimmy Choo's. I love you and hate you at the same time.." Abby half screamed.

"Open them. I think you'll love them"

Abby began opening the box.

Fitz watched Olivia and Abby's interaction.

"It's not too late, we're gonna have to go home and get ready really quickly, I told you, I'm getting you drunk tonight and I'm gonna get you to lay some cute random guy. It's gonna be fun," Abby said loudly.

Fitz froze momentarily.

Olivia grabbed her face in embarrassed.

"Abby my boss is still here," Olivia scolded.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a filter sometimes," Abby directed towards Fitz and Cyrus.

"Don't worry about it," Fitz said flatly then walked out.

Olivia was a little perplexed as to why Fitz's attitude changed.

"I hope you get laid Liv," Cyrus teased.

"Cyrus get out," Olivia screamed jokingly.

Abby finally got the wrapping paper off the box and opened it.

It was a pair of Swarovski Crystal studded pumps, the ones Abby drooled over for months when they debut on the runway.

"Oh my god Liv, I love them. Thank you so much."

"You are very welcome Abby but I don't think we can go out tonight, I have so much to do tomorrow there is no way I can do it hungover."

"Boo, hiss!" Abby said dryly.

"Let's rent movies and have a girl's night in, well raid the minibar and order a whole bunch of room service," Olivia suggested.

"You are so boring, you used to know how to party back in the college days."

Olivia chuckled.

"You are totally right Abbs but now I have a campaign to run."

An hour later they were back in Olivia's hotel room. After Olivia showered and changed into something comfortable, she plopped down on the bed. She was exhausted. When Abby joined her on the bed a little while later they ordered a ton of food from room service and tried to pick a movie to watch as they waited for the movie.

The room service was taking forever so Olivia decided to go and to the front desk and see what was taking so long.

She had on a grey oversized t shirt that reached her mid thigh and some Kate Spade pajama shorts under even though they weren't visible. She had on light blue over the knee socks and fuzzy puppy bed slippers. She walked down the hallway to the elevator. She pressed the button and waited for the elevator to come.

Abby opened the room door.

"Liv, remember to get the marshmallows okay," she half screamed.

"Yea abbs, I'll remember."

Abby nodded and closed the door, Olivia was still facing Abby's direction when the elevator door opened without paying attention she whipped her head around and hit something hard and fell to the ground.

"Owww," she grabbed her nose as she felt something warm running down her nostrils.

"Livie, I'm so sorry," Fitz said as he bent down to see if she was okay.

She looked up and realized it was Fitz.

"Governor, it's okay I wasn't paying attention," she said

As she tried to get up, she felt his big arms pull her up.

"That's a lot of blood, do you want me to take you to the hospital?" he asked in a panic.

"It's a gusher but I think I'll be fine," she chuckled softly.

"At least let me take you to get some ice for it," he handed her the handkerchief from his pocket and she used it to control the blood flow from her nose.

They stepped into the elevator and Fitz pressed the level floor button.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again.

"Yea, I think it stopped bleeding too."

"Good, I'm glad," he said softly.

They stood awkwardly in the elevator until they reached the main floor.

When they got off Fitz followed her to the service desk and asked for an ice pack for her. While they went for the ice pack Olivia asked the other receptionist about her room service.

"Okay, we'll check on your order right away ma'am," the receptionist told her.

FItz stood beside her trying not to give her a once over.

"So..." he said breaking the silence.

"Is this what you and Gabby party in? Pajamas and fuzzy slippers?" he smirked.

Olivia chuckled.

"I can't exactly work and nurse a hangover, which is exactly what I would have had in the morning after a night partying with Abby, she doesn't exactly have boundaries, so I convinced her to slumber it tonight."

"Oh…such a tragedy" he said with the most satisfied look on his face.

Olivia realized that he reason he acted that way earlier was because he didn't want her to go. She was momentarily annoyed, 'how dare he try to scold me, if I want to go out and party and have one night stands then that my business' she thought. Then suddenly she had an idea to see if he was really upset about that or maybe it was all in her head.

"Another night though, I know Abby had big plans for me."

She saw his face fall flat immediately and his satisfied look was replaced with one of contempt.

"What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem," he said flatly.

"Yes, you do, when Abby said we were going out earlier your whole attitude changed and you just did it again. What you're holier than thou and you smite everyone who parties."

Fitz was about to say something when the clerk brought back and ice pack for Olivia along with some tissues and told her that her room service order would be send up within 5 minutes.

She cleaned up her nose and threw the tissues away, she was good as new.

"Fantastic," Fitz said rudely and then walked away. She walked behind him and when he pressed the elevator button, the doors opened immediately.

They both stepped in, Fitz had his back turned to her.

"Are you gonna tell me what you're problem is?" She asked.

He didn't say anything he just pressed the button, 23rd floor.

Olivia huffed in annoyance.

Fitz was debating whether or not he really wanted to ruin his marriage over one woman, but it wasn't just any woman, it was the perfect woman, his perfect woman. He was running out of the resolve to stay away from her and finally thought 'consequences be damned' and turned around and wrapped both hands around her face and pull her into him and kissed her.

Olivia was caught off guard when he grabbed her and kissed her. When his lips touched her, she knew she should've pulled away but very nerve in her body was telling her not to fight it and she listened to the nerves. It felt good, it felt better than good, it made her see stars. He started off softly and tender but the more she join in, the more urgent it got, he drove his tongue in and out of her mouth hungrily as if she was the last person he would ever kiss, they were both in a haze, forgetting everything around them while there were in the moment until the elevator dinged and snapped them out of it.

Fitz pulled away, he have her a once over, with the same satisfied look from earlier and then turned and headed out. She stood breathlessly in the elevator and when the elevator door closed, she pressed the open button and stepped out.

She held on to her lips as she could still feel them tingling from his contact. Fitz was in his room, his was a couple doors down from the elevator, while hers was at the end of the hallway. She walked slowly trying to process what had just happened, the kiss made her salivate at the thighs but he was married, it was wrong and she knew she couldn't let it happen again.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, she woke up early for work, she was hot and bothered from her dream of Fitz and she needed a cold shower to calm herself.

"Abby get up, I'm leaving for work."

Abby sat up slowly.

"Hey Liv, what time did we go to sleep last night?" she asked lazily.

"Like 3 in the morning," Olivia replied.

Abby chuckled.

"That explains why my eyes feel like they're on fire. I think I'm gonna come volunteer at the office today, I'll be your assistant for the day, Abby laughed.

"Only if you promise to behave yourself."

"I promise," Abby swore.

"Okay, I have to leave now so just meet me at the office, when you're ready."

She was actually glad Abby would be at the office, it would be a good distraction from Fitz and she knew she was going to need it, if she planned on getting through the day in one piece.

When she got to the campaign headquarters, he wasn't there as yet. She closed the door in her office while she worked on some documents.

Around 11am, Abby arrived and then Olivia had her helping out around the office. They were both walking around, instructing the interns and volunteers when Fitz walked in. Abby pinched her side.

"Ouch Abby."

"You told me he was ugly, you liar. He's freaking gorgeous. How old is he? like 44? That's perfect silver fox age."

"He's my boss, what did you want me to say and you saw him last night, you just figured that out," Olivia said as she rolled her eyes.

Abby chuckled.

"You like him," she teased.

"Quit it Abby, it's not funny," she snapped.

"Fine, fine whatever you say but I have no problem admitting I would totally ride his face," Abby mocked.

"He's married," Olivia scolded as if she didn't have the same urges.

"He's a public figure so he's fair game," Abby countered.

Olivia ignored her.

Everyone was working diligently, Olivia had managed to avoid Fitz since he walked in the office until she heard him yell at Cyrus from across the room.

"I don't want him here, was that not clear to you," he screamed so loud, everyone turned and looked at him.

"Abby please wait here, I'll be right back."

Olivia ran over to them.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Fitz' father senator Grant is here and Fitz won't even see him. You have to let him stay Fitz, he'll only help your numbers. Tell him Olivia."

"I thought the governor said he didn't want him here to begin with."

Fitz couldn't describe how good it felt for Olivia to be on his side.

"Yea but the rednecks love him and he's already here, he can't send him away, think of the optics."

Olivia sighed.

"Cyrus is right, it would look really bad if you just sent him away, why don't you just try and talk to him, I can't imagine why he would come all this way if he didn't really want to help," she said softly.

Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine," he clipped.

"Great," Cyrus said glady and went to get big Gerry.

Within the blink of an eye, Cyrus was back. With him was a man roughly the same height as Fitz, his hair was white and he wasn't as lean as Fitz.

They walked up to both Fitz and Olivia. Big Gerry starred Olivia down and then smiled.

"You must be the woman I've been hearing so much about. They told me you were smart but they didn't tell me you were so beautiful although I don't think they would have done you justice," Big Gerry held onto her hand and gave it a kiss.

"Thank you senator Grant, it's lovely to meet you but keep complimenting me like that and I might get a big head and fall over," she chuckled.

Gerry smiled at her completely ignoring Fitz's burning gaze directed at him.

Gerry turned to Fitz.

"Son," he said flatly.

Fitz ignored him and stormed off.

For the next month with Gerry on the campaign, Fitz was not someone you wanted to be around. He snapped at everyone except Olivia and because of that every time, Cyrus and Mellie or anyone; for that matter, needed something from him or wanted him to listen, they sent Olivia to talk to him. She never spoke with Fitz about the kiss, they just both acted like it never happened. Since Big Gerry joined the campaign his poll numbers skyrocketed and he was winning the most state caucuses out of all the other republican candidates. The more he won, the less happy he was bout it. Him and his father were constantly in yelling matches and fights, it was a disaster.

One afternoon, Harrison paid Olivia a surprise visit. He wanted to take her out for lunch.

"Hey Liv!" Harrison called from across the office.

She heard the voice and instantly a smile spread across her face.

"Harrison, I can't believe you're here, it took you long enough to come and see me," they embraced each other for a long time.

"You've been off probation for months and you just came to visit me, she slapped his arm and Harrison laughed his goofy boyish laugh.

"I'm here to take you to lunch, let's go," Harrison commanded.

Olivia opened her eyes wide.

"Great, becuase I'm starving. Let me just go tell the team I'm going for lunch and get my purse. I'll be right back,"she smiled.

Fitz had been watching her and Harrison from across the room.

She went to her office and grabbed her white Chloe blazer and her Saint Laurent purse. When she went back to general office area and looked around, she couldn't find Cyrus and Mellie, just Fitz.

"Hey Governor, I'm gonna run to lunch, if you see Cyrus can you just tell him. I can't reach him."

"You're going to lunch? Do you mind if I join you?" Fitz asked but it wasn't really a question.

Fitz knew there was no way he was letting her go to lunch with that guy by herself.

"I don't think that's a good idea, people will recognize you."

Fitz grabbed his jacket and a pair of sunglasses.

"No they won't. Plus it's either grab lunch with you and your friend over there or stay here and argue with my father, it's not really a hard choice," he smiled and headed in the direction of the exit where Harrison waited.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, she he was ridiculous at times.

She walked behind him to towards Harrison.

"Harrison, this is governor Grant, he'll be joining us for lunch."

"Hi governor," Harrison smiled politely.

"Hello Harrison."

"So Liv, where are we gonna eat?" Harrison asked.

"Uhm, I don't know Harrison, this is your city, you pick something," she said cheekily.

"Okay, there is this mexican place not too far away."

"Nachos hold the key to my heart. Let's go," she giggled.

They walked a few blocks to the restaurant, ordered the food and found a boothe.

"So Harrison, where did you and Olivia meet?" Fitz asked.

Harrison chuckled.

"We met at Georgetown, first day, she's really bad at directions, so she couldn't find the class. She was walking the corridors, confused as hell."

Olivia rolled her eyes and ate one of her chips.

"She's really short so of course I had to look down to see her."

"That was low," Olivia chuckled.

"We've been great friends ever since," Harrison smiled goofily.

"Yea she tried to make a dramatic exit the first day she came on the campaign but couldn't actually find the exit, Fitz added with a smile.

Harrison cackled.

"You guys are teaming up on me, how is this happening right now," she whined.

"Oh please Liv, don't let me start sharing stories from college."

"No Harrison," she begged.

"I wanna hear these stories," Fitz told Harrison.

Olivia was about to protest but Harrison cut her off.

"So one night, we went out to this club, me, Liv and Abby. Liv has a really low alcohol tolerance so every time we brought her out she was the first to get drunk."

"No I wasn't," she countered.

"Please your what? 5'3" and 110 lbs, you get a couple of shots in her, she's drunk."

Fitz laughed and Olivia rolled her eyes.

"So we're out having a great time, Liv is the first to get drunk and Abby next, I was being responsible that night so I didn't drink. There was this one guy that was all over Liv, I mean just wouldn't let her go, really handsy, she's drunk and annoyed so she punches this guy in the face, breaks his nose, Abby pours a bottle of vodka all over him and they bolt and leave me there."

Fitz laughed loudly.

"I run out behind them. Liv's in the middle of the street dancing and Abby's half asleep on someone's car. The guy and his friends come out of the club looking for Liv and Abby, they're both drunk so they don't care. I had to carry them both inside of this Walgreens to hide them all the while there yelling and me and singing and dancing. They're opening snacks in the pharmacy and eating them, one of the workers found us, they bolted and left me there, the manager of the pharmacy threatened to call the cops if I didn't pay for the snacks they took. I finally manage to get out of the pharmacy and guess what?"

"What?" Fitz asked excitedly.

"I get out and they are outside throwing down with these guys, just one big fight. One guy had Liv up in air like a helicopter and another guy had Abby locked up in his arms."

They all laughed.

"I don't remember any of this by the way so this could all be false," Olivia interjected.

"Of course you don't but I do because I was the one who broke up the fight, carried you guys home and held your hair back as you puked."

"Thank you Harrison for telling that very fun story to my boss, how will I ever return the favor," she said sarcastically.

Fitz laughed.

"I actually loved that story. Funniest thing I've heard in awhile," Fitz noted.

Olivia's phone rang, it was Cyrus.

"Cy?" she answered.

"Liv, do you know where Fitz is? I can't find him."

"Uhm, no I don't know where the governor is but I'm actually at lunch right now so I'll call you when I get back," she said quickly and hung up.

Olivia sighed.

"Well that was Cyrus and he's looking for you so we should probably head back."

"What Liv? No come on, I'm finally seeing you after 3 hard months of jail, I wanna tell you how much it sucked," Harrison complained.

"Harrison? What's with you and Abby, you guys just blurt out anything in front of my boss, it's a little disconcerting."

"Live and learn Liv, plus he's cool. Now governor do you want to hear about my brush with the justice system."

"I would love to hear it," Fitz chuckled.

"After I graduated Georgetown, I found myself in a shit ton of student debt. We weren't all as lucky as Liv to have been scouted and had a job waiting for us after we graduated, could we?"

Harrison looked at Olivia and fluttered his eyelashes playfully.

"Land your plane Harry," Olivia scolded.

Fitz chuckled.

"So I met this beautiful girl, was she bad news? Yeah, but I didn't care. She introduced me to insider trading and after a great run, we got caught."

"Don't sound so nostalgic Harrison," Olivia said flatly.

"I was high on life back then Liv, it was fun. Anyways the girl, Adnan got deported and I was suppose to spend 8 years in prison."

"But earlier you said 3 months?" Fitz asked perplexed.

"That what I was going to get until Liv stepped in. She defended me pro bono and they gave me 3 months and probation."

"That's amazing," Fitz marvelled.

"I should have charged you for it, you criminal," she joked.

Harrison smiled, he got up and hugged Olivia tightly.

"Too late."

Cyrus called Olivia again.

"Okay I think we definitely have to leave now, before Cy sends a hunting party for us." she chuckled.

The next day they were having a celebratory dinner in the night after Fitz won 4 more states in the primaries. As usual Fitz was in a foul mood, Big Gerry was charming everyone at the table and Olivia was just trying to endure it until it was over.

Big Gerry was telling them a story about Fitz when he was younger and kept asking Fitz if he remembered, which was annoying the hell out of Fitz.

"Fitz, don't you remember at your 10th birthday, the huge party we threw for you, you had so much fun, he was running around, all the little girls were chasing after him, he takes after his father you know."

Fitz was quiet for a while and then he began.

"I actually don't remember that because it never happened, you didn't throw me a party, you told me we were going to spend the day together. I remember standing outside your door as you banged that barely legal hooker while your wife was dying. What I can't remember though, is her name, it was something ironic, it'll come to me."

You could hear a pin drop in the room.

"Uhm what was it? Hope? No, no, I remember, it was chastity. Can you imagine, you picked a hooker name Chastity to cheat on your wife with," he chuckled humorlessly.

Fitz gave his father a look of contempt and then got up from his seat and left the dinner.

Awkward wasn't word to describe the room after he left the room.

Mellie excused herself and then one by one so did everyone else.

Olivia went back to her hotel room, the constant fighting between Fitz and Gerry was stressing her out so she decided to try and grab a quick workout in the hotel gym.

She changed into a lululemon skinny leggings and a matching sports bra, she put on her Nike workout sneakers and a sweater and head to the gym.

She had her headphones on, she was listening to Outkast and bumping her head and dancing to the beat. She walked absently into the gym and headed straight for the boxing heavy bag. She took her sweater off and put boxing gloves on and started punching.

She danced and sang as she did sets until she was drenched in sweat. She got thirsty and took her headphones off to grab some water from the refrigerator in the gym.

As she stood in front of the fridge and drank her water, she heard someone clear their throat very loudly and whipped her head around, she thought she was alone.

It was Fitz, he was sitting by the bench press shirtless.

"Have you been here this entire time?" she asked surprised.

"Yes and before you came here too," he chuckled.

She tried not to look at his body but couldn't help it, he was ripped. She took one look and blush so hard she had to hide her face. She walked quickly back over to her punching bag.

"I think maybe I should I go," she said quickly.

Fitz got up and walked over to her, he had his shirt in his hands.

He stopped dangerously close to her.

"Do I make you nervous Olivia?"

She bit her lip.

"Why would you think that?"

"Well you're blushing right now," he said with a smirk.

Olivia fidgeted nervously.

"I-I should probably go," she stuttered.

Fitz chuckled, he threw his shirt on and grabbed a pair of boxing mitts.

"Olivia are you always this wound up. Come on, I can see you're a pretty good boxer so come and spar with me."

"That's probably not the best idea."

"Is it illegal?"

"Uhm no."

"Okay then, get your gloves on and show me what you've got."

Against her better judgement, she decided to stay and spar with him.

She put her gloves on and started throw quick jabs to his boxing mitts.

"So, how did you learn to box?" he asked.

"I'm really small, I had to learn how to defend myself, my father made me learn."

"So this is how you managed to break that guy's nose with one blow," he teased.

She stopped.

"I hate that Harrison told you that story."

"You have to admit it is pretty funny."

She chuckled.

"It's a little funny, yeah," She admitted.

She did a swift combination of hits and Fitz was impressed.

"Good job Livie."

She chuckled.

"Okay, let's see what you've got, grab a pair of gloves and I'll get mitts," she offered.

When Fitz had his gloves on and she had her mitts, they began. Fitz threw quick soft jabs and after a while Olivia stopped him.

"I'm not a invalid, don't pull your punches, I can take it," she told him.

Fitz took his gloves off.

"You can take it huh?"

"I can take it."

They had long since left the topic of boxing and dove into the realm of sexual innuendos.

He stepped closer to her, so close she could feel his breath on her skin. She began breathing unevenly and she hated how much of a hot mess she was while he was always calm.

He kissed her. Softly at first, then deeper, letting their tongue duel intensely. She could feel his hands holding on to her bare waist tightly and the sensation made her thighs ache.

She reached up and let her hands hover over his torso, feeling his rock hard abs in under her fingers.

He broke this kiss and she shuddered and opened her eyes to meet his icy blue eyes piercing down at her.

When her breathing calmed and she started to think rationally, she realized what happened.

"Oh my god, I can't believe we did that again. I'm suppose to be a logical thinking person and this is not logical," She said in a panic.

"Livie, calm down," Fitz was still very calm and in bliss from the kiss.

"No, that can't happen again. Don't kiss me again."

She grabbed her sweater and hurried out of the gym.

Fitz turned around to watch her leave, her body was perfect and he wanted to take it in one last time.

At that point he knew he had strong feelings for her but he wasn't sure he wanted to admit to himself exactly how strong they were.

A week later, they were in South Carolina. Fitz was still at the top of the polls but wasn't doing great with women. They sat on the campaign bus trying to brainstorm ways to improve their numbers with women.

"We need to take Sally down, I have some dirt on her, just let me leak it " Cyrus plead.

"I don't want to run a dirty campaign Cyrus after what you pulled with Gerry, you don't get to make executive decisions anymore. I want to do this fair and square and if I lose, then that's fine," Fitz insisted.

"No that's not fine, I want to be First Lady," Mellie whined.

"I'm sorry about Gerry but after your little trip down memory lane at dinner last week, he's gone so I think taking down Sally is the safe way to go," Cyrus countered.

"It's not a race, if I'm not running against anyone, Sally is the only candidate left in this race with me," Fitz snapped.

"Cyrus, Sally found God, once you find God no one cares what you did before that. It won't work, the news will cover it for a couple days, she'll come out and either deny it or say it was the devil and her poll numbers will magically rise. They we've been waiting a long time for a woman in the whitehouse a rumor isn't going to stop them from voting for her," Olivia argued.

"So what do you suggest?" Cyrus asked.

"Get her on the ticket, convince her that being on the Grant ticket is the best way to secure a spot in the white house and tell her that when she wants to run for president after you serve your terms, you'll back her fully as president."

"Sally hates my guts, you think that'll work," Fitz asked, he was pleased that she said 'terms' suggesting she thought he had enough win, not once but twice.

"Sally is ambitious, you are only a few states away from securing the number of delegates for the nomination, it'll take a miracle for her to gain that many delegates in the next couple of months before the republican convention. If you give her an out, she'll take it and she'll bring millions of women with her."

"Okay, I'll talk to Billy chambers," Cyrus suggested.

"No Cy, I'll talk to Billy, he likes me, he despises you," She chuckled.

"You're right about that." Cyrus laughed.

Fitz's side eye didn't go unnoticed by Olivia.

"In the meantime Mellie, you need to be more relatable so you can attract more women to you. We can schedule a few press event where you talk about issues important to women, issues important to you, don't get too political, keep it simple, personal and heartfelt," Olivia added.

"Will do Liv," Mellie agreed happily, any opportunity to get on the camera and talk about herself was all Mellie wanted.

"Okay Liv, when are you going to talk to Billy," Cyrus asked.

"He asked me out a few weeks ago but I told him my answer was tentative, I'll call him and him and take him up on his offer and then drop the news on him at dinner."

"Dispicable I love it, Liv you are a genius," Cyrus grabbed her and kissed her cheek and laughed.

Fitz rolled his eyes at the kiss and got up and made his way back to his seat.

She was glad Fitz was annoyed by her going out with Billy, she loved being petty when it came to him. She had been throwing snide comments back and forth with him all week and no one seemed to notice their little feud.

They had a mini campaign event at a local school. Olivia stood by as Mellie gave her speech on losing her pregnancy and it ripped her heart out. She felt terrible for having the feelings she was having about Fitz, while they were going through that and she was disgusted with Fitz for kissing her when he knew his wife was going through that.

Fitz won the South Carolina caucus later that night. They took the jet back to D.C., everyone except Mellie came back, she had press events to attend. Olivia avoided Fitz entirely. If he asked her something she kept her answer short and straight to the point. Fitz realized her attitude change but he decided not to confront her about it.

The next morning in D.C she called Billy and told him she would take him up on his offer. They made plans to go to dinner later in the night.

For the entire day, much like the day before, she avoided him and when she did have to talk to him, her questions and answers where straight to the point.

Fitz tried his best to stay away from her all day. Everytime he tried to speak to her, she was rude and snarky or tried to be overly professional and it was getting on his last nerve.

In the night after work, she went back to her hotel room and got ready for her date with Billy.

She showered, did her makeup exquisitely and curled her hair into long loose curls. She didn't care about the date at all but still it wouldn't hurt her ego to have Billy fawn over her all night. She didn't have a lot of date night clothing except for two cocktail dresses she kept handy. She wore the plain white fitted spaghetti strap just about the knee length Isabel Marant dress. She wore it with a pair of Christian louboutin nude pumps that she kept handy throughout the campaign and a white Theory crepe longline blazer.

Dinner with Billy went just as planned, she let him fawn over her for about half hour and then dropped the bomb on him. He pretended to be outraged but she knew he was seriously considering it. She was back at the hotel in less than 90 minutes and she expected a call from the Langston campaign within the next two weeks.

When she got to the hotel lobby, she stopped by the front desk to order room service and then made her way to the elevator. She pressed the button and took off her blazer as she waited.

The elevator was taking a little longer than usual, so she fidgeted around until she recognized the smell of a familiar cologne.

She rolled her eyes because she knew exactly who it was. She turned around and he was a few feet next to her. He was wearing khaki chinos and his navy t-shirt.

She turned back around without acknowledging him and then the elevator doors opened.

They both stepped in and Olivia pressed their floor button, it had suddenly become annoying that, her, Cyrus, Fitz and Mellie were always booked on the same floor. She could feel him staring at her.

"How did your date with ole Billy go," he said with disdain.

"I'm on personal time right now so I don't have to answer any of your work related questions. You can ask me again tomorrow during office hours."

"What's your problem? You told me not to kiss you again, I haven't. Now what is it?" he asked annoyed.

"My problem is that your wife just lost her baby and instead of being with her you've been hitting on me and kissing me and -"

"Are you done?" he asked flatly.

"What?"

"Are you done?" he asked again.

The elevator doors open but Fitz closed them and pressed the stop button.

"Open the doors."

Fitz sighed.

"Are you done? Can I talk now?"

She huffed and folded her arms against her chest and looked away from him like a petulant child.

He took that as his sign to continue.

"Mellie lied."

"You expect me to believe that?" she asked.

"I haven't had sex with Mellie in since we conceived Karen, so if she was pregnant, it wasn't me."

Olivia didn't mean to gasp but she did, how can he go 7 years without having sex with his wife and why would Mellie lie.

"Why would Mellie lie?"

"You told her to rally women to her side, so she did. If I had known I would have stopped her from saying it but I was just as shocked as everyone else," he chuckled.

"How are you taking this so well?" she asked perplexed.

"I know my wife, it's not like I can go to the press and tell them she was lying, they'd eat her alive and then they'd eat me alive right after."

"And now she's on a press tour with all the women's groups, pro-life and pro-family groups," Olivia chuckled humorlessly.

Fitz pushed the stop button back into place and opened the doors, they both stepped out.

"I'm sorry I just thought-"

"Thought that I was the sleazy husband who knocks his wife up and then cheat on her with younger, more beautiful women."

Fitz stopped when they were in front of Olivia's room door.

"Well, am I wrong?" she asked timidly.

"Well let's see."

He paused and pretended to think.

"I didn't knock her up, not since 7 years ago. I haven't cheated on her unless you, count me kissing you, twice. The sleazy part I think I've got down pat though."

She chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, I know it's not right; my gaze lingering on you, kissing you, thinking about you constantly but I can't stop and believe me I have tried."

Their eyes locked for a moment.

Olivia turned around and opened her room door.

"Goodnight Livie."

Fitz was about to turn and walk away but Olivia grabbed him by the waist and yanked him in her room.

Fitz was completely taken off guard but he quickly regained his wits and swung her around and had her up against the wall.

"Kiss me," she commanded.

He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her slowly and sensually but with a restrained fierceness. She held onto him as if he was the only steady thing in a swaying world. He made her dizzy, every time she breathed his smell in, she felt herself being more and more consumed by him.

When Fitz broke the kiss, she whimpered in objection.

Fitz turned her around and unzipped her dress and let it fall down her body.

He ran his hands up her body, committing to memory the feeling of her soft skin and curves under his hands. He reached up and grabbed her breast from behind and she let out a loud breathy gasp. Fitz shuddered at the sound.

He whipped her around so she faced him. He grabbed her face and drove his tongue into her mouth as he grabbed her ass. She let her hands roam over his torso.

She stepped out of her dress and then kicked off her heels. Fitz walked her backwards to her bed and laid her down. All she had left on her body was her nude lace thong.

She sat up and undid his pants, she could see his stiff bulge outlined as he stepped out of them.

He planted soft kisses up her body and when he reached her ear, he whispered;

"I want to taste you."

She quivered at the thought of his tongue in between her thighs, he was such a good kisser, she could only imagine what he could do with his tongue down there.

He pulled her thong off and dropped it on the floor. He spread her legs widely and licked up her wet slit.

Olivia squealed excitedly, it made Fitz chuckle.

He licked and sucked and slurped.

Olivia bit her lip and tried to suppress her moans to no avail. Fitz relished in the sound of her soft breathy moans, the sight of her curled toes, her arched back and her hardened nipples.

He sucked deep into her center, exploring every crevice and flicking her clit with his tongue in a maddening fashion. When Olivia couldn't take it anymore, her body quivered and quaked and she came hard into Fitz's mouth.

Olivia was breathing heavily, when Fitz got up and pulled her up as well. Fitz stood at the edge of the bed and Olivia knelt on the bed facing him.

He kissed her so she could taste herself on his lips as she pulled his boxers down and began stroking his member with pre-cum spilling down his shaft.

She was pleasantly surprised by his size. She heard a soft grunt and smiled as his lips were on hers.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Olivia broke the kiss and covered her face, flushed with embarrassment.

"I forgot I ordered room service," she said shyly.

The door knocked again.

Fitz smirked at her reaction.

"Let me answer it," she said.

She grabbed her robe and answered the door.

She tried to keep it short and grabbed the tray and gave him a tip and closed the door.

Fitz was laying flat on the bed, chuckling at her nervousness.

She rested the tray on the floor and walked back over to the bed. She untied her robe and let it fall to the floor.

She climbed on top of him and straddled him.

"I'm on birth control okay."

He smirked and then flipped her over so she was laying flat and he knelt between her legs.

He could see her breath hasten in anticipation.

He guided his member up and down her slick slit and then entered her.

"Fitz-" her breath hitched and she called out his name. It was the first time she ever said his name and not his title, and Fitz loved it.

He looked down as watched as he entered her over and over again. Her legs were spread wide and wrapped loosely on around his waist.

She grabbed into the sheets and closed her eyes and tried not focus on the pain but the immense pleasure.

Fitz was slow and steady, relishing in the feeling of being inside her.

He went deeper into her and saw her wince.

"Livie am I hurting you."

"No-no-don't stop," she moaned wildly.

He pulled her up so she was straddling him, he wrapped his arm tightly around her tiny waist and kissed her fiercely as he thrusted into her.

She tried as hard as she could to control her moans but Fitz could sense she was trying to hold back and thrusted harder and faster.

"Scream for me Livie."

She bit her lips to prevent herself from screaming, Fitz realized and stopped. He eased her off of him, turned her around and bent her over and then entered her fiercely from behind.

She screamed his name into the sheets. He couldn't have that so, so he pulled her into his arms and wrapped them tightly around her so she couldn't squirm or try to cover her moans.

"I want to you scream," he whispered in her ear.

"Fitz-" she screamed in between moans.

"That's what I like to hear."

His grunts were slow and raspy and gave her goosebumps. She felt her insides tighten and a tingling sensation run up her spine. Her moans were loud and erratic and breathy and she couldn't help it.

Fitz felt her insides tighten around him and his body convulsed. He leaned Olivia forward so she was on all fours, he reached around and started rubbing her clit as her stroked her slowly from behind.

Within seconds Olivia came, shuddering and screaming as she hugged onto the pillow. Fitz felt his muscles tense and felt a rush of blood and sped up.

He was thrusting so hard he felt like he was vibrating inside her and Olivia felt inside tingle again.

"Oh my god Fitz I'm coming again," she screamed.

"Oh shit," Fitz grunted. They held onto each other for dear life as they both came vigorously.

Fitz emptied his hot liquid into her and then dropped on the bed beside her exhausted.

They both tried to calm their breathing. Olivia's legs were trembling as she laid mostly limp on the bed. When Fitz finally calmed he looked over at Olivia, he couldn't hear her heavy breathing anymore and realized she was asleep.

He chuckled and scooped her close to him and within a few minutes he was asleep too.

* * *

The next morning Olivia woke up she instantly felt a throbbing pain between her legs. She sat up slowly. Fitz had left. She tried her hardest not to think about what took place the night before but it was all that plagued her mind.

She didn't know what she was thinking and why she possibly thought it would have been a good idea to have sex with her boss. As amazing as the sex was, she was never going to do it again and she needed to make that clear to him as soon as possible.

She turned and looked at her phone as realized it was almost 1pm, she had about 12 missed calls from Cyrus.

"Shit!" she cursed.

She got out of bed as quickly as she could, ignoring the pain and showered as quickly as she could.

She threw on a pair of AG black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt and her Chanel flats. She applied a little concealer, mascara and lip gloss and headed out.

When she got to the office, it was pretty calm.

When Cyrus saw her, he approached her.

"Hey Liv, how are you feeling?"

"What?"

"Fitz said you told him you weren't feeling too great, are you better?"

"Much better," she said with an awkward smile.

"Okay great."

"How was the date with Billy last night?"

"It went just as planned, I think after the next caucus, when they lose more states, he'll accept our offer."

"Perfect, I could kiss you but I don't what sort of sickness you have brewing in you and I'm an old man who can't afford to get sick," Cyrus chuckled.

It was a pretty calm day, she didn't miss much. She saw Fitz across the room and avoided him at all cost.

When she was finished working, she went to her office to work by herself.

She was a little surprised that he hadn't made any effort to speak with her since she got to the office.

She briefly wondered if maybe he just wasn't interested in her anymore or maybe she didn't please him last night. As much as she hated to admit it, she loved the attention he gave her. Almost on cue, Fitz walks into her office snapping her out of her trance.

"Good afternoon Livie."

"Oh I was just thinking-" she began.

"About me, I know." He finished.

She chuckled.

"Not at all," she lied.

"Yea...sure," He smirked.

"Why did you tell Cyrus I wasn't feeling well."

"I tried waking you up but you kept going back to sleep so I left you and told Cyrus you weren't feeling well."

He paused.

"Unless you wanted me to give him a very detailed description of why you couldn't get up this morning," He said smugly.

"Yea we need to talk about that-"

He pretended to hear something.

"What's that Cyrus? I think Cyrus is calling me, I have to go," He turned around a headed out the door with a smirk.

"I'm right here I know Cyrus isn't calling you." She half-yelled with a chuckle.

She loved how goofy he was at times.

She worked diligently until evening and when her and Cyrus sent home the staff, she went back to her hotel. They were heading on a long campaign tour and she wanted to get some rest, especially after last night.

She bathed and wrapped herself in her fluffy white robe. She called room service and tried to find something to watch on tv.

After a while, there was a knock on her door, it was room service. She collected her tray and tipped the worker.

She went back to her bed and place the tray next to where she was sitting and then she heard another knock.

'That's funny, maybe they forgot something from my order,' she thought.

She went back to open the door and when she opened it, it was none other than Fitz.

"Fitz-"

"God I love it when you say my name," He chuckled.

She stared at him.

"You were the one who said you wanted to talk. Are you going to invite me in?" He asked.

"Yeah come in but no funny business," she scolded.

"Best behavior, I promise."

She let him in and walked over to the bed and sat down.

"What did you order?" He asked.

"Wine and popcorn."

"For dinner?"

"Yea sort of, I had a decent lunch so I'm not really hungry."

"Okay what are you watching?"

"News."

She remembered that she was naked under the robe when she moved and felt a slight breeze. She decided it would be best if she put close on so she wouldn't be tempted to give in to Fitz again.

She got up off her bed.

"Let me just put some clothes on, I'll be right back."

She walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

"I've seen you naked before you know."

"Oh shut up!" She yelled from the bathroom causing him to chuckled.

She came back in leggings and a sweater.

Fitz laughed at how childish she was being, as if wearing more clothes was going to stop him from wanting to take them off of her.

She sat on her bed and pulled out some folders with statistics and polling info to go over.

"Come on Livie, we can look at those tomorrow."

"No, I have a load of-"

"When you say load, are you talking about the load I left inside of you last night or-" he chuckled.

He was laying on the bed and she hit him with her pillow.

"Don't say that, it's not funny," she scolded.

"Now that that's out in the open, we can talk about the fact that we had sex last night," He began.

"We can't do it again, you know that right? It was just a one time thing to get rid of our urges so there isn't all this tension between us," she said it as if she had practiced it beforehand and she did, that's what she told herself.

"Was it Livie?"

"It has to be. It's bad enough that we did it once, we can't do it anymore, it's not right."

"Can you honestly say that you are satisfied with only being together once because I'm not. I want you now more than I wanted you for the past 4 months."

"Fitz it doesn't matter what we want. You are married and running for the presidency."

"Forget about my façade of a marriage and the presidency and tell me the truth about what you want?"

"I can't do that."

"Okay fine, lets see what Cyrus thinks of what we do in our spare time," he stood up and headed to the door and she bolted after him.

"Are you crazy?" She said in a loud whisper.

"A little," he smirked.

"You're not funny!"

"The truth Olivia."

"You want the truth? Okay. Fine. Last night was the most amazing sex I had in my entire life. I've been mad at myself all day for not going a few more rounds with you because I got dick drunk and passed out. I really like you but I'm not going to let myself get consumed by you because if we start this thing I don't think I'll be able to stop. That's the truth. Are you satisfied?" She said angrily.

She both loathed and got turned on by the smug expression on Fitz's face.

"I don't think you're going to be able to stay away from me. In fact I'm sure that pretty soon you're doing to be begging me to cum inside you again and I'm willing to bet on that," he teased.

"Oh yea and I'm willing to bet that you'll be the one begging me to let you cum inside me. Good night Fitzgerald," she fired back.

He headed to the door and opened it then stopped just before he stepped out. He leaned over to her and whispered in her ear;

"By the way Livie, later tonight when you're rubbing you clit and dreaming of me being inside you, call out my name loudly so I can hear you, I'm only a few doors down."

Then he turned and walked out.

"Are you always this arrogant and glib," she asked loudly.

Fitz shrugged her off and went to his room.

That night as much as she tried not to, her resolve broke and she gave into her desire and pleasured herself to thoughts of him.

* * *

The next morning they left early for the road. They had a lot of states to cover. They spent the day from rally to rally, town to town and then when night came and everyone retired to their rooms, Fitz went to visit her again.

"What?" she said she opened her room door.

"Is that any way to greet your boss?" Fitz scolded.

She opened the door wide to let him in. When he walked in he heard the sound of low music playing.

She was in cropped yoga pants and a sports bra.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm doing yoga stretches, it calms me. Why did you come to see me tonight?"

"I came to hang out with you."

She went back over to the carpet and got into a front back split and then bent her front leg and formed a pigeon pose and held the position.

"So you're flexible too," Fitz teased.

"You know Fitz, I'll totally kick you out of here," she said with a flutter of her eyelashes.

"Okay fine but satisfy my curiosity first, how did you fare last night after I left?"

"I actually went right to bed."

"Is that so because I could have sworn I heard you last night."

"There was no way you heard me from all the way from your room, I wasn't that loud," she scoffed.

"Ah ha! So you did do it."

She blushed in embarrassment.

"So what if I did, don't pretend you didn't do it too."

"I'm not pretending I didn't, I have no qualms about it," he said with a grin.

Olivia fell out of here yoga position laughing.

"Oh my god, you are disgusting. I can't with you," she laughed.

"You regret passing out?" He asked.

She giggled.

"Sorry, I don't even know what happen one second I was catching my breath and the next second I was knocked out."

"You snored pretty loud," Fitz laughed.

"I didn't and stop talking about it because you're going to make me start thinking about it again and I don't want to, we're platonic remember."

"Olivia we fucked each others brains out, I buried my face in your vagina and I came inside you, there is no being platonic after that."

Her legs quivered and she closed her eyes to fight off the memory.

"Fitz stop it," she whined.

"Ok fine, while I let your panties soak that up, teach me some of your moves," he said as he got up.

She rolled her eyes.

"Teach you yoga?" she asked.

"Yea, bend me up, I'm rigid."

"Okay, this should be fun," she smirked.

She stood up.

"First position, downward facing dog," she announced.

She fixed his body into the form and then joined in beside him.

After a while she switched position after position. She had a blast, stretched Fitz out, he was really tall so he had a hard time forming some positions and looked very awkward doing others and for some, he flat-out tumbled. She mocked and prodded him and he didn't mind because he got to see her smile and have a good time.

* * *

A week later after Fitz swept the next caucuses, just like Olivia predicted Sally agreed to be Fitz's VP, securing his place as the republican presidential nominee. Over the course of the next 2 and a half months, they won all the caucuses. Fitz spent as much time hanging out with Olivia as he could, even when Mellie was in town. She was still very private so she didn't tell him much about her, but that was alright with him because he hoped in the future she would open up more. They never had sex or kissed, not since the first time. It drove Fitz crazy and he was horny all the time whether he was around her or not but he didn't let her know that.

In June, when Karen finished school, he brought her to D.C. to stay with him, much to Mellie's dismay.

Karen had arrived in the evening the night before and Fitz brought her to the office the next morning. It was the first time Olivia was meeting Karen, she wasn't sure why she was nervous to meet her but she was. When Fitz walked in he had Karen on his hip, the instant she saw him with her, she knew he spoiled her rotten.

She was tall and lanky for a 6 year old, just like Fitz. she had green eyes and curly brown hair. She was holding on to a teddy bear and was sucking on a lollipop. She had on a light pink cotton dress and strappy light brown sandals.

"Karen, do you want to meet daddy's friend?" Fitz asked her.

He walked over to Olivia.

"Here she is Kare, say hi."

Karen turned around so she could face Olivia

"Hi, I'm Karen and I'm 6," Karen announced.

Olivia giggled.

"Hi Karen, I'm Olivia and who is your friend right there?" Olivia asked pointing to the teddy bear.

"Oh that's my best one of my best friends Mr. chubbies, I call him that because he's fat. My daddy bought him for me."

Olivia laughed.

"You're so funny Karen, are you gonna be helping your father out today," she asked with a smile.

"Yea daddy said I could be the boss of everybody today," Karen said excitedly.

Fitz chuckled.

"That was our secret Karen."

"Sorry."

"No sweetie it's okay."

Mellie stormed over.

"Fitzgerald, you can't give her candy this early in the morning, what will the public think?" she said with an icy smile.

"They will mind their business because it has nothing to do with them."

Mellie didn't reply to Fitz but instead turned to Olivia.

"Morning Liv," she greeted.

"Morning Mellie, how are you doing?"

"I've been better."

She paused and turned to Karen.

"Would you like to come with me?"

Karen grabbed on to Fitz tighter.

"No, I'm staying with my daddy," Karen protested.

"Fine," Mellie said with a smile and left.

Olivia shook her head at Mellie.

Cyrus walked over to Fitz.

"Fitz we need you, it's about the speech to the RNC."

"Karen do you want to hang out with me for a little while till your dad get's back, you can help me boss people around," Olivia added with a smile.

"Okay, we can both be the boss." Karen smiled revealing 2 missing front teeth.

Fitz let her down.

"Thanks Livie."

Olivia and Karen walked around the room and made rounds, the staff loved Karen, she was hilariously honest and blunt.

When they finished Olivia brought Karen back to her office where they hung out, Karen drew on blank sheets of paper as Olivia worked and every once in awhile Olivia would stop what she was doing and entertain Karen to make sure she wasn't bored.

Fitz came back periodically to make sure Karen was okay, there was something Olivia found very attractive about the way he was so overprotective of Karen.

She was also fiercely protective of Fitz, always asking where he was and making sure he was okay, she was a real daddy's girl.

By lunchtime Fitz, Cyrus and Mellie all joined in Olivia's office for lunch. They ordered pizza for everyone in the office and brought 2 boxes into her office.

"Yay, I love pizza," Karen said as she jumped up.

They shared the pizza up. Karen sat in Fitz's lap and ate her pizza, occasional forcing him to bite a slice of her pizza even though he had a slice of his own.

Her and Fitz bantered back and forth, which seemed to slightly annoy Mellie.

"I'm going to eat a lot of pizza so I can get fat like mr. chubbies, he has a lot of girlfriends."

Olivia chuckled.

"I have a lot of boyfriends too, at my school."

"Is that so and how many boyfriends do you have?" Fitz asked just to keep her talking.

"I have-"

Karen paused and started counting on her fingers.

"I have 4 boyfriends."

"Really what are their names?" he asked.

"Uhm Bobby and Alex and Josh and Logan."

Fitz choked on a bite of his pizza. Olivia and Cyrus laughed. Fitz took a sip of his drink.

"Okay sweetie, what other friends do you have?" he asked.

"A lot of girlfriends. More than I can count on my fingers and toes, that's because I share my snacks at snack time that daddy buys for me."

"What about your teacher Karen, is she nice?" Olivia asked.

"I like my teacher Ms. Applegate but she looks like a man so I call her Mr. Applegate."

Everyone laughed, except Mellie.

"My friends do it too," Karen added.

Olivia found Mellie's behavior unpleasant and off-putting. She hadn't been able to really converse with her since she slept with Fitz but seeing her behave like that made her realize why Fitz couldn't stand her so much. It didn't make her feel less guilty for what she did though .

* * *

Karen was inseparable from Olivia and Fitz. if she wasn't with Fitz, she was with Olivia. Her and Olivia had grown close and every time Fitz needed to do some sort of business and Karen need to be taken care of, she went to Olivia even though her nanny was on call in the office. Olivia didn't mind, she was an only child and didn't have much experience with children but Karen wasn't a brat, it was easy hanging with her.

Fitz utterly adored seeing Karen and Olivia together. They were always giggling and joking about something. Olivia was patient and kind to Karen and he found himself drowning with emotions for her.

It was the day before the RNC kick off and Fitz was busy doing a ton of press events. The convention was being held in Ohio, it was a mad house. Everyone was running around, Cyrus and Olivia were trying to keep everything in order, make sure the event went without a hitch and do press interviews of their own. When Karen wasn't with Fitz, she was with Olivia and when they were both busy, she was with her nanny.

Fitz and Mellie argued over whether or not to include Karen in any press photos, Fitz was totally against it, even though Karen was on the trail, no one was allowed to take pictures of her and Fitz kept her pretty sheltered. Mellie however wanted to plaster Karen's face all over the new and use her as political capital. That night after Karen went to bed, Fitz came to visit Olivia. She was just getting out the shower when she heard the door knock.

The hotel didn't offer robes, so she just wrapped herself in a towel. She looked through the peephole and saw Fitz.

She opened the door slightly.

"I'm naked, give me a second to change." she whispered.

"Olivia I've seen you naked before, let me in. I cannot stay out here a second longer," he sounded irritated.

"Touchy."

She opened the door further and let him in. He walked over to the bed and plopped down, she avoided looking at Olivia at all cost, he didn't need to see her practically naked with water dripping down her body. He was deep in thought, he didn't realize Olivia was calling him.

"Fitz, what's going on? Are you okay?"

She walked a little closer to him, she was mindful that she was practically naked and it was hard enough for them to keep their hands off each other with clothes on, she didn't need to make it harder.

"Fitz-" she asked again.

He finally looked up.

"Come here," he said softly.

Her legs automatically carried her forward before she even had time to think it through. She stopped right in front of him, he reached up and held on to both side of her waist and pulled her forward so she stood in between his legs. She was about to say something when he rested his head against her stomach. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down, he was still really angry about his fight with Mellie. She was a little shocked. She had seen him be goofy, arrogant, happy, angry and even jealous but she'd never seen him vulnerable. The one thing she wanted to do more than anything was comfort him.

She ran her hands through his hair, it was soft. She wanted to feel his lips and tongue again, she ran her hands to his neck and cupped his face and leaned it up towards her then she leaned down and kissed him softly on his lips. The kiss intensified but not in a hungry way. She broke the kiss before it got to hot and then hopped on the bed beside Fitz. She pulled him close so he could lay beside her and then pulled the comforter over them.

She cuddled up on his side, she couldn't deny how good it felt to be in his arms.

"Come on, tell me what's bothering you," she said with a small smile.


	5. Chapter 5

The RNC went off without a hitch. Everything was perfect, Fitz's speech got a standing ovation.

Mellie won the argument about whether or not Karen should be on stage and Fitz let Karen on stage at the end of the convention and all three of them stood on the stage like the perfect family and it was the first time she felt jealousy towards Mellie for being Fitz's wife. When she saw them on stage together, it made her feel so foolish for ever thinking there could be something between her and Fitz that she had to get out of the auditorium and went backstage. She felt the anxiety rise in her chest and she was hyperventilating. Then it dawned on her, there was only one reason she could be freaking out over just the sight of him touching his wife. There was only one reason why she thought about him every free second of the day, every time he touch her it lit her skin on fire, she needed to find him anywhere he was in the room and she dreamt of him every night and when she was in his arms, everything inside her felt at peace.

"Oh my god I'm in love with him. How could I let this happen?"

She stooped on the ground and massaged her temples. One of the volunteers saw her on the ground and ran over to her.

"Ms. Pope, are you okay?"

She whipped her head up.

"Yea, no, I'm fine, I just needed a minute."

"Okay ma'am feel better."

Olivia nodded still not looking to the volunteer. He left and Olivia took a few minutes to pull herself together and then went on the do her press interviews. That night when Fitz came to her room, she didn't answer the door, instead she laid in bed and sobbed softly until she fell asleep.

* * *

Since the republican convention, she'd been trying to keep her distance from him. She could tell he was frustrated by it, every time he tried to talk to her, she found a way to get out of it. She couldn't stay away from Karen though, she was just too cute. She would be leaving in a couple of weeks to go back to school and she was spending as much time with her as possible because she knew she would miss her when she left.

Her ex-boyfriend had been calling her for months and after her whole epiphany with Fitz, she finally started taking his calls, maybe if she started seeing someone else, it would be easier to get over Fitz. Brandon adored her, he was also clingy and boring but he wasn't a bad boyfriend. The main reason they broke up was because he used to complain that she worked too much and didn't have time for him. He lived in New york and was a resident at the Columbia university medical center. He was the same age as Olivia, she met him at a mixer party after work and he pursued her heavily till she gave him a pity date that turned out better than she expected. He flew down to D.C. to see her and they planned to have lunch together in the evening.

It was crazy busy when Brandon showed up, so she asked him to sit in her office for a little while until she managed some of the chaos. Karen was out at the park with her nanny while everyone was trying to wrestle up the volunteers and manage all the donations calls coming into the office. Cyrus and Olivia split up to place the volunteers, Fitz was doing phone interviews with a few news programs and Mellie was walking around looking first lady like. After about an hour, things were calming down, Fitz finished his interviews, Olivia and Cyrus set all the volunteers to task.

Fitz needed memo of talking points for a late night appearance on a radio program. He had been looking for Olivia for a couple minutes in the office but couldn't find her so he stopped by her office, she had actually stopped at the bathroom to touch up her makeup. He was surprised when she stopped by her office and there was a man in there, he'd never seen him before but he and thought maybe he was one of the volunteers.

When Fitz walked in Brandon thought it was Olivia, since he was facing the opposite direction of the door.

"Olivia, where have you-"

But then Brandon turned around and realized it wasn't her.

"Oh I'm sorry I'm just waiting for my girlfriend. Wait...you're Governor Grant?"

Fitz was a little taken aback.

"Your girlfriend?" he asked.

"Well ex-girlfriend but I'm hoping to change that."

Fitz raised his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry Governor Grant, I'm Brandon Duncan."

Brandon reached out his hand to shake Fitz but just looked at him.

"I take it you're waiting for Olivia?" Fitz asked flatly.

"Yes, yes I am," Brandon said nervously.

Fitz smiled devilishly and reached out for a handshake which Brandon happily accepted.

"Good luck with getting Olivia back," Brandon didn't realize he had just been invited into a challenge.

"Thank you sir."

He turned out and started searching the hallways for her. He walked down the south hallway and he heard the dainty clicking of heels and instantly knew it was her and when he turned the corner, she was walking towards him. He walked coolly but with purpose towards her, she was a little put off by his expression, it was smug.

The momentum with which he was walking towards her told her he had no intentions of stopping, she was a little confused.

Fitz eyed a supply closet on her right and gave her a once over and before she could open her mouth, Fitz grabbed her arm and pulled her into the closet in one swift moment.

His lips were on hers, kissing her fiercely. He lifted her against the wall and she wrapped her legs around his waist as Fitz held her hands together. Their tongues duelled savagely and then suddenly Fitz eased her off him and placed her on the floor. She was thankful that he stopped because she surely didn't have it in her to stop.

She tried to even her breathing but Fitz was still calm. As soon as the blood started flowing to her brain and she was able to think again, she started freaking out.

She covered her face.

"Oh my god."

"Take your panties off."

"What?" she choked out.

He stepped forward and leaned so close she could feel his breath on her skin.

"Take them off."

She felt her pulse race and she couldn't deny how bad she wanted him. She knew there was no pretending she didn't because Fitz would see right through that act. She pulled them down slowly. Fitz watched her every move. When she had them down, she looked back up at him.

"Turn around and pull your dress up"

She obeyed and braced herself against the wall. Fitz unbuckled his pants and pulled them down. He widened her legs from behind and she arched her back in response. He entered her with a sharp jolt, Olivia sucked in air through her mouth. Fitz wrapped both arms around her tightly, grabbing her breast. He moved his hips back and forth in sharp punctuated thrusts. Olivia's body undulated to the rhythm of his. She turned her face to meet his so she could taste his lips and he willfully obliged. Fitz continued to pound her from behind as she moaned into his mouth.

Olivia felt her inside tighten, Fitz felt it too.

"Fitz I'm coming-" she moaned.

Fitz stopped and pulled out.

"Good. Now answer this. Who is Brandon?"

"Huh?" she was a little disoriented she never had a man stop at the peak of having sex before, no one ever had that much discipline. Her breathing was still uneven.

"I didn't stutter."

He turned her around to face him.

"Shit, I forgot he was even here."

She paused and then realized why Fitz was acting like that.

"So that's why you pulled me in here, because you met him," she said angrily.

"He's your boyfriend?"

"Maybe," she said defiantly.

He let out a sardonic chuckle.

He lifted her leg over his arm and entered her again with a hard punctuated thrust and she whimpered in response.

"He's a boy Olivia, you need a man."

He started pounding her again and she screamed out and Fitz stuck his tongue in her mouth to muffle her screams.

"Do you want him or me?"

"You-" she moaned.

In no time Olivia was quaking and shuddering as she hung onto Fitz and came vigorously.

Fitz was on the edge of his own orgasm and after a few more thrust, he came. When he emptied his load into her, he pulled out and pulled up his pants and fixed his shirt and hair. Hot liquid spilled down her legs as she tried to compose herself.

He walked back over to her and stopped in front of her.

"Get rid of him," he said flatly.

He gave her a big slobbering kiss and then bent down a grabbed her panties and stuffed them in his pockets.

"Fitz no, give them back," she tried to grab them from him but he was too quick.

"Nope," he walked out the closet.

"Fitz-" she called but he ignored her.

He had to take a long walk back to the main office area because he was still a little erect when the left Olivia. Before he arrived at the main office, he stopped by Olivia's office to see Brandon. He was still waiting in the chair in front of her desk.

"Hi Brandon, still haven't seen Olivia as yet?" he asked feigning concern.

"I think I've been waiting for almost 2 hours."

Fitz heard the familiar sound of dainty heels clicking down the hallway and turned and saw Olivia heading towards him.

He turned back and face Brandon.

"Oh look, here she comes."

Brandon got up, he walked over to Fitz and reached out and shook his hand.

"Thank you Governor Grant."

"No problem. It was a pleasure. Go get her tiger," Fitz said with a smile as he walked off.

Olivia was going to go after Fitz but then Brandon stepped out of the office.

"Brandon?" she wasn't sure how else to greet him after having him wait for 2 hours.

"Olivia, I have been waiting for more that 2 hours."

"What did governor Grant say to you?"

"What?"

He was a little annoyed that that was what she cared about but then realized that she was serious about getting an answer.

"I told him that I came here to get you back and he wished me good luck."

Olivia rolled her eyes at how immature Fitz could be.

'He's such an arrogant ass' she thought to herself.

"You thought it was a good idea to come here and make my boss privy to my personal life?"

"He seemed like a nice guy, it was just small talk," Brandon said in an attempt to avoid an argument.

She couldn't believe the control Fitz had over her, she was really about to get rid of Brandon.

"I think you coming out here was a bad idea. I'm busier now than I've ever been and I honestly don't have time to socialize. I'm sorry if I led you on."

Brandon let the words sink in.

"You know I don't even know why I even try with you Olivia, you are a cold and heartless and incapable of feeling anything for anyone but yourself," Brandon yelled.

"Don't create a scene Brandon," she didn't raise her voice.

"Why because it'll ruin your perfect little image," he got louder.

"Okay so the exit is 2 rights and at the end of the hallway. Find it."

She walked past him to her desk and sat down. She was positively ignoring him at this point.

"You're such a bitch," he spat angrily. She had a bunch of paperwork neatly sorted on the conference table to the side of her office, he stormed over and flung them off the table and then stomped out of the office.

She sat at her desk trying to figure out how and why she gave Fitz so much control over her. He told her to get rid of Brandon, as nice guy and she didn't even give it a second thought, she just did it.

She was annoyed, hungry and thanks to Fitz, exhausted. Then right on cue, he walked in, with the biggest smile on his face, but when he saw all the papers on the floor, his face dropped.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well Brandon called me a heartless bitch and then threw all my papers on the floor and it's all your fault, I mean seriously 'go get em tiger' you thought it was a good idea to say that to him. Come on Fitz, you're better than that."

"I am better than that, sometimes."

She laughed.

"I hate you. How do you manage to be such an arrogant ass and a lovable dummy at the same time."

"It's not very hard but I actually am sorry about what Brantley did."

"It's Brandon," she corrected.

"Who cares."

She chuckled again but ended with a yawn.

"You're tired Olivia, you should go get some rest. I'll have a volunteer, sort these, hopefully they can find the talking points memo in this pile for tomorrow."

She nodded.

"Can I have my underwear back," she asked.

"Not a chance in hell."

* * *

It was early September, Karen was scheduled to head back to California with Fitz in a couple days, he was going to take her to school on the first day then head back to D.C. straight after but for now he was throwing her a casual goodbye party in the office.

Fitz bought a ton of pizza, sandwiches, chinese take-out and sodas. Karen walked around with a princess crown and wand, knighting people. Karen was obsessed with American girl, so she ordered her the american girl back to school set which included a doll, a bag and a few other supplies. She waited until the party was almost over and then she grabbed it from her office.

"Kare bear I have a surprise for you," Olivia dangled the red american girl shopping bag in the air.

The second karen was the bag she lost her mind.

"American girl," Karen screamed.

She walked over to Karen and stooped down beside her and handed her the bag.

Karen gave her a big hug.

"Thank you Olivia."

She opened her gift and she loved it.

"Woah this is so cool."

She said loudly and to herself then ran off with it to show it off to Fitz.

"Did you say thank you to Olivia?" Fitz asked.

"Thank you Olivia!" Karen yelled.

Karen and the younger volunteer and interns danced around for a little while until the party came to an end.

Later that night Fitz came to her room. Since the whole Brandon incident, she'd been letting him in when he came to her room but they didn't have sex. She was dressed in her white silk pajamas shorts set, it was very skimpy and she wore it for him just because she liked being a tease. When he knocked, she let him in as quickly as she could, since he was coming to her room so often, she didn't want anyone seeing him so the less time he was in the hall knocking her door, the better.

"What?" she said as she opened the door.

"I come bearing gifts."

He held up a bottle of bordeaux.

She grabbed the bottle and he stepped in a closed the door.

"Oh my god, my favorite," she squealed and jumped on him. They both fell to the floor laughing.

Fitz got up and threw her over his shoulder and brought her over to the bed. As soon as he layed her down, she popped the bottle open and started guzzling.

Some one the wine spilled on her shirt but she didn't care. Fitz realized she wasn't stopping so he took the bottle from her. She looked at him confused.

"What did you want some?"

"No, how can you drink that much at once? You're cut off. No more."

She pouted.

"Fine," she giggled.

It didn't take her very long for the alcohol to kick in.

"Can I have some more wine?" she giggled.

"How have you not passed out yet, that was a lot of wine."

"No it wasn't I barely feel different.".

"I didn't bring you wine to get you drunk but since you are I'm gonna go, you should probably just rest."

"What. no. come lay beside me, I'm not drunk," she whined.

It was too tempting to turn down. He laid beside her and pulled her close, he thought maybe she was so drunk she would pass out pretty soon but Olivia had other plans. She propped her head up lazily with her hand and threw her leg over his torso. She rubbed circles with her fingertip on his chest.

"You have the most beautiful chest hairs I've ever seen in my entire life."

"Is that so."

"Oh yes daddy," she giggled.

Fitz felt his heart race.

"Okay that's my cue to go."

He was about to get up but she pulled him down.

"I'm horny don't leave me."

"You're drunk, I'm not gonna touch you," Fitz insisted.

"I'll touch myself and you can watch," her words slurred.

She bit his ear, Fitz laid still trying his hardest not to cum all over himself there and then.

She brought his hand to her mouth and started sucking on his middle finger.

"Or maybe you could put that finger inside me so I can cum on it."

"mmm - could I" Fitz said a little disoriented.

"I'm wet." She giggled.

She reached down and stuck one of her finger in her center and then brought it up his mouth.

"Taste me."

Fitz opened his mouth in a trance and she was about to let him taste her finger but then she jerked her hand back and licked her finger seductively.

She moaned exaggeratedly snapping Fitz back to consciousness.

He jumped out of the bed.

"Look! Your penis says hi," she laughed.

"Okay so you're very drunk and I'm very horny, so I'm gonna go!"

He headed to the door.

"Daddy where are you going?" she called loudly as she giggled.

Fitz turned and looked at her one last time before he left.

* * *

The next morning Olivia woke up, she didn't feel as terrible as she thought she would once she threw up but she also didn't remember anything that happened after she took her first sip of wine.

She showered and since it was going to be a crazy media day so decided to get pretty dressed up. After she did her hair and makeup. She wore a skinny fitted black Ralph Lauren Collection pants suit, a Theory white silk camisole and her Manolo Blahnik suede black pumps.

When she got to her office, she started her day by reading a bunch of different new articles to catch up. She was deep in thought when Fitz walked in. he stood at the door for a while wondering when she would recognize he was in the room.

"Olivia."

She jumped.

"Governor, I'm sorry I didn't see you there."

"That's very formal after what happened that night," he countered.

She closed the newspaper.

"Uhm what happened last night? Did we have sex?"

She had a certain edge to her voice that made Fitz feel like she was accusing him of something.

"No we didn't have sex, I'm not a pervert. I didn't bring the wine for you could drink it in one gulp and get drunk so I could have sex with you," he said a little defensively.

"If we didn't have sex, then what did we do?"

"Well, after you drank about 75% of the bottle by yourself. I realized you were drunk and told I was going to leave, you begged me to stay with you. I laid in bed with you and you started fondling me. You bit my ears, you sucked my fingers and then you stuck your fingers in you vagina and tried to get me to lick them but then you said sike and sucked them off yourself and laughed."

"Oh my god stop," she whined.

"And don't even get me started on the things you were saying while you did all of this."

Olivia was flushed with embarrassment.

"God that's so embarrassing, I can't believe I did that."

"Yes, so it turns out that you're actually the pervert, don't you love the irony in that."

Fitz got up and headed to the door.

"Fitz."

He stopped.

"If it makes you feel any better I really wish we did all those dirty things last night."

He turned around and gave her a wicked grin. Fitz and Cyrus left shortly after to the airport. He had an important luncheon in New York that both him and Governor Reston had to attend. Olivia decided to let Cyrus go to New york with Fitz because she new nothing good would come out of being in New york 'alone' with Fitz. Olivia was running things at the office. Mellie had a few small interviews that were scheduled for the evening, nothing serious. She was keeping Karen unusually close all day, she kept repeating something to her over and over again and wouldn't let her go with anyone else.

Olivia noticed but didn't say anything, after all, Karen wasn't her child, she was Mellie's.

After an eventful day of phone interviews and satellite appearances, Olivia was tired. She was standing in the background as Mellie did her interviews and as each news organization finished their interview, she checked them off the list. When her list was complete she realized that there was still one news crew left and she was a little confused as to why. She looked over to Mellie but the intern told her she had gone to change her outfit. She walked over to the crew.

"What program is this? I don't have you on the list."

Before the crew member could answer Mellie, Karen and the host walked out from behind the screen and sat on the couch. The room got quiet and the host signalled for the interview to being.

Olivia was a little too shocked to be upset, she couldn't believe Mellie would pull something like that.

" **Goodnight, I'm here with Presidential Candidate Fitzgerald Grant's wife Mellie Grant and their adorable daughter Karen Grant,"** The host began.

" **Mellie with just over 2 months left till the election on November 8th, how are things on the home front."**

" **Things have been pretty crazy, as you know Karen starts school in a few days and Fitz and I will be flying back to California to see her off on her first day and then after that it's back to crazy campaigning but it'll will all be worth it because I truly believe and so does Karen that Fitz is the best candidate for the office of the president of the United States."** Mellie said with a smile. Karen sat still in Mellie's lap.

" **Now Mellie, we know you take being a mother very seriously can you tell us a little bit about you and Karen's daily routine in the midst of such a busy campaign."**

Mellie began answering the question. Olivia was furious but she couldn't stop the interview. She started ordering the interns around but then she heard the interview direct a question to Karen.

" **Karen, what's your favorite thing to do with your mom?** The host asked.

Karen sat timidly.

" **It's okay Kare bear, you can tell her."** Mellie encouraged.

" **I don't really play with my mom, she's never plays with me, I mostly play with my daddy, he tickles me a lot and gives me piggy back rides and hugs and kisses."**

Mellie froze.

" **Well there you have it. Mellie would you like to say anything in response?"**

Olivia ran over to the camera crew and forced them to cut off the feed. Mellie ran into the office with Karen, once the feed was cut.

Olivia went after them.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"I'm sorry Olivia," Karen cried.

Mellie was in the corner hyperventilating. Olivia stopped in front of Karen.

"No sweetie, you didn't do anything wrong okay, I promise."

Olivia paused trying to calm herself so she sounded believable.

"Why don't we have someone get some ice-cream at that little ice-cream parlour you love."

"I would like chocolate ice-cream," Karen said softly.

"Okay come on let's go."

Olivia glared at Mellie before she turned and left the room with Karen. She had one of the interns go to the ice- cream parlour and order ice-cream for Karen and she gave Karen her ipad so she could play games on it in her office while she tried to do damage control. She called Cyrus, they were 20 minutes away and she could barely wear what Cyrus was saying because he was screaming so incoherently.

She was calling every news network, she had the interns scouting online trying to get a comprehensive read on what the repercussion of the interview were so far. Surely enough Mellie was trending on twitter and every news channel picked it up within a few minutes, which was the downside to live broadcasts. Olivia released a generic campaign statement to give her a little time to actually figure out a solution with Cyrus and Fitz, she already knew what needed to be done, she just wasn't sure Fitz would do it.

When Fitz came into the office, she had never seen that dark look in his eyes before, it was true rage.

"Where is she?" his voice was flat and calm at first. No one answered.

"WHERE IS SHE?" he yelled, the anger in his voice sent quivers around the room. One of the volunteers pointed to one of the closed office rooms.

"She's in there," he said nervously.

"Everybody go home!"Fitz said a he walked to the office. The interns, staff and volunteers scrambled, quickly with a few nosy ones trying to hang around the hear the fight that was about to take place. Cyrus however realized and sent them out quickly.

When Fitz got into the room, the door slammed loudly.

The screaming ensued, it was worst than Olivia thought it would be. Even Cyrus seemed surprised.

Olivia and Cyrus headed to her office and closed the door.

Cyrus saw Karen in the corner and greeted her then sat in front of Olivia's desk.

"Liv how did this happen?" he asked, not angry but frustrated.

"She obviously planned the interview behind our backs, she had Karen with her all day, prepping her I guess and by the time I saw the extra news crew, she was heading out to do the interview."

"This is going to be a disaster, with the debate coming up and this is the first thing they are going to throw in his face, the poll number is going to drop, it's -."

Olivia signalled to Karen, so Cyrus knew not to divulge to much into the negative, since Karen already felt bad.

Cyrus stopped talking.

"I know what we have to do but he isn't going to like it," she began.

The yelling and screaming continued for some time until Fitz came into the office.

He was still infuriated.

"Come on Karen, were heading back to California a little early."

"Fitz, you can't," Cyrus protested.

"I can't what?" Fitz challenged.

Cyrus backed down.

Karen got up and walked over to Fitz.

"Bye Olivia, thank you for the ice-cream, bye uncle Cyrus."

"Bye Kare, give me a hug before you go."

Olivia saw Fitz's expression soften.

Karen ran over and gave Olivia a hug, than ran back to Fitz.

"Keep in touch fish butt," Olivia called out and Karen giggled.

"I'll be back in a couple of days," Fitz said and then walked out.


	6. Chapter 6

In the two days that Fitz left, Olivia and Cyrus were all over the place doing damage control. Cyrus convinced Mellie to go to California shortly after Fitz left because the optics alone were terrible if the press found out he left without her. They had Grant campaign surrogates out trying to change the topic of conversation and focus on the policies but it wasn't working. The media wanted to hear what Fitz had to say.

When Fitz came back from California the first presidential debate was only a few days away, when he landed in the morning, he immediately called a meeting with Cyrus and Olivia.

He sat in his office waiting for Cyrus and Olivia to show up. When they came in and sat in front of his desk, he began.

"Who's idea was it to send Mellie to California?" he asked.

"Mine, the optics of her staying here was terrible, we already lost our lead to Reston, we can't afford to lose anymore points with the general election only months away," Cyrus explained.

Fitz was clearly still upset about the Mellie debacle.

"Olivia how did this happen?"

"Mellie bribed one of the assistants into scheduling the interview and told her not to tell me and keep it off the press itinerary. She kept Karen with her all day, obviously she was prepping her for the interview."

"What's the plan on how to deal with this?" Fitz asked.

"Olivia has a brilliant plan? Go ahead Olivia," Cyrus interjected.

"A few months ago Mellie told the world she suffered a miscarriage, we can say she's still suffering from the effects of that, it's made her a little distant and reticent, which is what Karen was talking about when she says 'mommy doesn't play much'. Tell the public that you have stepped up, to give Mellie time to heal by taking on more responsibility with Karen. It will gain her sympathy as a woman and it will get you adoration as a father."

Fitz was silent for a while.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"I think it's a little disconcerting how good of a liar you are?"

"Excuse me?" she asked offended.

"That's a brilliant lie but one we wouldn't even need if you didn't let this happen in the first place."

"Let this happen?"

"Yes, you let this happen. You were in charge here and this happened on your watch. What was Karen even doing with Mellie in the first place? You didn't do your job, you should have been more vigilant!" he said sternly.

Cyrus sat in silence.

"It's not my fault your wife doesn't know her place and what the hell was I supposed to do grab Karen out of Mellie's arms, I am not her mother, Mellie is. And while we're talking about job descriptions, It's not not my job to keep your wife in check, it's yours but since I'm doing such a horrible job, I quit!"

Olivia got up and stormed out. Cyrus chased after her immediately.

"Liv? Liv? What the hell, you can't quit," he said as he tried to catch up with her as she strutted to her office.

"I just did, didn't I," she snapped.

"Look, just take the day off and cool down. I'll talk to him. He's never acted like that before," Cyrus plead.

She threw her blazer on and grabbed her purse.

"No Cyrus, I'm done here. I'll check out of my hotel by noon tomorrow."

"Please Liv, were so close," Cyrus was fully begging now.

Fitz walked in.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"uhmm, I'm quitting," she said rudely.

"You are not quitting."

"Yea you're right, I already quit 5 minutes ago."

She walked to the doorway.

"Get out of my way governor."

Fitz moved and let her pass and she stormed out.

Cyrus let out a long, loud sigh, then he started laughing.

"You know you're wrong right?"

"Is that so?"

"It's not her fault Mellie pulled that, she could have pulled it on anyone of us, how many times did Mellie pull something out of her ass on you and there was nothing you could do about it."

Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Yea, you're right."

"Go get her back or I-"

"You quit, I know."

Cyrus chuckled.

"I was actually going to say or I was going to try to get her. Fitz I would never quit on you now, we are too close."

"Do you know where she went?"

"Her hotel most likely."

"Okay, wish me luck and Cyrus please watch Mellie, even if you have to put a collar around her neck and walked her behind you like a bloodhound."

"Don't tempt me," Cyrus chuckled.

Olivia stopped at the deli to get lunch on her way to the hotel. When she got to her floor, Fitz was waiting outside her room. She ignored him and pulled the key out of her purse.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked as she opened her room door.

"Just leave me alone, okay."

She walked into her room and shut the door, locking him out.

"Olivia, I need to talk to you let me in."

He waited for her to respond and when she didn't, he decided to kick things up a notch.

"Olivia Carolyn Pope if you do not let me in, I will create a scene," he yelled.

She ran to the door and opened it.

"Do not threaten me," she whispered.

"Let me in."

"I don't wanna talk to you and I don't have to because guess what? I don't work for you anymore."

"So you only talked to me before because you worked for me?"

"Yep."

"Did you only have sex with me because you work for me too-"

She pulled him in aggressively by his lapel and locked the door.

"Oh so now you let me in," He chuckled

"You are not funny," she half yelled.

"I'm sorry for what I said today, it was unfair to blame you for that, it know it wasn't your fault and I really hope you're not serious about quitting because we need you."

"Fitz I'm serious about quitting. I'm willing to stay for the next couple of days until we fix this whole Mellie crisis and I'll finish helping you prep for the debate and then I'll officially resign after the first debate."

"Are you seriously going to quit on me 2 months before the election because I yelled at you?"

"That's not the reason I'm leaving?"

"Then why are you leaving?"

"You know why."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

Fitz sighed.

"Olivia please, I don't want you to leave."

"I'm sorry governor, I've already made up my mind."

Fitz huffed at the sudden formality.

"Fine, then quit ."

He walked out and slammed the door

* * *

The few days that Olivia worked up to the debate were awkward to say the least. Fitz was practically giving her the silent treatment and whenever he did have to speak to her, he was very formal and he kept his conversations with her short and to the point. She knew he was upset but she knew leaving was the best thing to do. If she was being honest with herself, she should have left the minute they decided to sleep together.

Cyrus of course had tried every second of everyday to convince her to stay. Olivia's plan worked like a charm and the conversation changed from Mellie being a horrible parent to 'poor Mellie'. It was finally the day of the debate. In the morning they went through several rounds of mock debate and prep. In the evening before the debate, Olivia and Cyrus left first to talk with the press, Mellie and Fitz came about half hour before the debate began. They waited in the dressing room as hair and makeup touched up all four of them. Mellie left to go and get seated about 10 minutes before the debate and then it was just Olivia, Fitz and Cyrus. After Mellie left, so did hair and makeup. Then an intern came and called Cyrus, Olivia tried to go with him to avoid being let in a room alone with Fitz but Cyrus told her he could handle it by himself. After Cyrus left, they sat silently and awkwardly. Fitz completely ignored the fact that she was in the room with him. She sat quietly debating whether or not she should try and talk to him. She decided to try, she didn't want to leave things sour with him.

"So, are you ever going to talk to me again?" she asked.

He didn't answer her.

"I guess not," she said to herself.

He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a small turquoise box. When she saw the box she instantly knew it was from Tiffany's. She took it; hesitantly, and untied the ribbon around it and opened it. It was a platinum diamond bracelet. Her mouth dropped open.

"It's a thank you gift for working your ass off for the campaign and your birthday comes up in a few days but you'll be gone by then so I'm double gifting."

"Fitz I can't take this from you."

"What? You don't like it?"

"No I love it but it's too beautiful, I can't take it."

"Look, I took out my frustrations about Mellie on you and that wasn't fair. I'm really sorry about that and I understand why you want to leave," he said apologetically.

"I'm not leaving because you yelled at me, I'm leaving because I'm in love you," she blurted it out before she had time to think it over.

Fitz was completely caught off guard by her confession. He was about to say something but Cyrus ran into the room and told Fitz that it was time to get to the stage.

"Come on Fitz debate starts in one minute, we need you and Reston on standby like now."

She saw Fitz hesitate and she knew he was trying to finish the conversation.

"Go now," she said sternly.

He obeyed and rushed out with Cyrus.

Once Fitz was on the stage, she walked with Cyrus to their front row seats that were right by the stage.

Once the formalities were over, the moderators started throwing question back and forth at Fitz and Reston. Olivia predicted they would have started the debate by throwing marriage questions at Fitz but oddly enough it didn't come up until Reston slickly brought it up in one of his answers.

"Governor Grant, do you care to respond to Governor Reston's allegations about your marriage?" the moderator asked.

Fitz chuckled charmingly.

"I've seen the lovely and very well constructed photo ops of governor Reston and his wife, the way they always hold hands and dotingly look into each other's eyes, I'll be honest, I don't know about you but it's hard to compete with that. That's not the relationship Mellie and I have, we're a real couple, we don't get along every second of everyday unlike governor Reston and Joan, we don't have a perfect relationship but we are friends and partners and most importantly we are parents to a beautiful and brilliant 6 year old, she obviously takes after her mother in that way."

He paused, the crowd chuckled and he found Olivia's eyes in the crowd and held them.

"Look, I am in love with an amazing woman, I won't defend it or explain it and that's all I have to say about that."

Olivia giggled like a giddy school girl and grabbed on to Cyrus arm.

"Our boy is doing good," he whispered into Olivia's ear

"I know," she blushed.

She didn't want to get too excited but their was just something about the way he looked at her, it made her swoon.

It was a long night, after the debate, Olivia and Cyrus did interviews with CNN, FOX and MSNBC, Fitz and Mellie did a late night rally and went back to the hotel, while Cyrus and Olivia stopped at the hotel bar for a celebratory drink.

"Liv, are you seriously going to leave now, we just won the debate, we are back in business." Cyrus cheered with his beer in hand.

She chuckled.

"Maybe I'll stay, if you beg hard enough," she teased.

"Do you want me to get down on my knees and blow you? Cause I'll do it," Cyrus laughed.

"I'm your work daughter, you heathen."

Cyrus laughed.

"Seriously Liv, he's sorry, he's never like that, Mellie got to him. Just come back, you've never been a quitter."

"I'll sleep on it okay."

They sat at the bar for almost an hour before Olivia excused herself to her room, Cyrus sat for a while before he left and went to his room as well.

Olivia showered and dressed in her flannel pajamas. She hoped that Fitz would stop by to finish their conversation but she was also terrified that maybe he wasn't talking to her when he said what he said during the debate and he didn't feel the same way about her as she did for him. The more she thought about that possibility, she more she started to panic. Almost on cue, Fitz knocks the door.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

He was dressed down, he had on grey sweatpants and his grey navy shirt.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

She opened the door wider so he could enter. He walked in and looked around the hotel room, he could see that she was packing up her things.

"So you're really serious about leaving?"

"You know I have to," she said with a sigh.

"Why because you love me?"

"Yes and this thing between us is only going to get more messy and complicated if feelings are involved."

"Feelings were always involved, I would've never broken my marriage vows if I hadn't been deeply madly in love with you and you would've never slept with me if you didn't have feelings for me either so don't insult my intelligence. This is not one sided."

She was silent for a while, still processing what he said.

"You love me?" she asked timidly.

Fitz chuckled at her shyness.

"You are the smartest and kindest and most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on, I'd be an idiot if I wasn't in love with you. I know it's selfish to ask you to be with me but I can't be away from you."

She blushed.

"I hate being away from you too," she admitted.

Fitz smiled his charming smile.

"Does that mean you'll stay?"

She smiled coyly.

"Yes, but I won't take the bracelet you got me."

"Oh come on, why not?"

"It's beautiful and I love it. But it's too expensive, I'm not keeping it."

"It wasn't expensive, I got it for a steal," he lied.

He could see that she wasn't backing down.

"Look I just wanted to give you something nice, please keep it, for me," he walked over and wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him and tipped her head back for a peck on the lips.

"Okay fine, but you can't get me anything else."

"I can't promise that."

She was about to protest when he kissed her again.

"What do you want to do tonight? We could do some yoga or watch tv? We can do anything you'd like. "

Olivia pondered momentarily.

"Remember all those dirty things I told you I wanted to do to you when I was drunk."

Fitz smiled mischievously at the memory.

"I'm going to do all of them to you tonight and I'll even let you add a few extra things for good measure."

"I can add anything?" he asked with a huge boyish grin.

"Anything, like the fact that I know you've wanted to feel my lips around your cock since you first laid eyes on me," she teased.

Fitz mouth fell open. He was about to say something when she cut him off.

"But maybe you're right, we could just watch t.v. or do yoga…"

"Like hell we are!" he picked her up threw her over his shoulder, she let out a loud squeal in response.

He threw her on the bed and before she even had the chance to undress, Fitz had both her hands pinned and his fingers jammed deeply inside of her.

she gasped loudly.

"You said you wanted to cum on my fingers, here's your chance," he teased.

* * *

The next morning Olivia let Cyrus know she wasn't leaving, he was ecstatic. They got the ball rolling and prepared for a week of heavy campaigning. After the debate, Fitz tied with Reston in the polls, a lot of voters couldn't get past what Karen said, according to the focus group, Mellie's gaffe was the main reason they couldn't commit to Fitz. Olivia tried to get Fitz and Mellie to be cordial enough with each other to campaign together but it was hard, they couldn't stand beside each other for more than 5 minutes without bickering. Everyday after the hectic campaign speeches, events and rallies, Fitz would come to her room and make up for it in the night. She loved having him with her at night, even though she would never admit it to him. They had been having an insane amount of sex, which wasn't something she was used to. Every night Fitz would come up with something new that he wanted to do to her, though most of the times it was kinky and she probably wouldn't do it with anyone else, it always left her in an intense state of euphoria. She was having the best sex of her life and almost everyone noticed her change in demeanor or told her she was glowing, which was a little awkward especially when they said it around Fitz, he was not subtle about congratulating himself. She worried sometimes that they were being too obvious but everyone seemed to be oblivious towards it.

It was the beginning of October, when Big Gerry threw his big 75th birthday celebration/campaign event. It would be bad optics for them to skip it and as much a Fitz protested, Olivia ended up convincing him to go.

When they got to California it was early afternoon, the drive from the airport to the ranch was a long one. Once the entered the Grant estate, Fitz got antsy. The drive to the residence once they were actually in the property was long and it made Olivia wonder how big the actual ranch was. When the arrived and got out of the car, Olivia's mouth fell open slightly. The villa was huge and could easily be confused for a castle but it had the architectural style of a country house. She could see hills in the background, a lake further down the road, horses in the barn and plenty of workers running around making preparations for the party. Olivia often forgot Fitz was wealthy, he was so down to earth that if you didn't know his name or history, you could mistake him for a regular guy, Mellie on the other hand would never let you forgot how rich she was, even though it wasn't her money. Fitz came from old money. His family wealth start when Henry Grant, a Scottish businessman came to America in 1820, he started his business by selling gunpowder, muskets and ammunition, quite the lucrative business back in those times. He quickly amassed a fortune. Musket began fading out of use a few decades after. His great grandson, Ross Grant, set out to find a new business and luckily struck oil in Texas. Since then the Grant's have been on par with the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Duponts and the Fords. Every male in the family has run Grant Conglomerate, after Fitz acquired his law degrees at Yale and Oxford and served in the military, he got a business degree at Harvard and managed the family business as Ceo for a few years until he ran for governor. The Grant industries main business was in Oil and pipelines, which led them to have a net worth of over 15.5 billion plus assets, all of which was to be inherited by Fitz once Big Gerry passed. The Grant family was small, big Gerry had one child and so did his father and his grandfather. In fact it Gerry made a big deal about how Grant men only conceived boys when Karen was born, Fitz was the first Grant to have a daughter since Henry Grant. His family had been dabbling in politics and trying to influence elections in their favor for a long time until his grandfather actually ran for office and won, then Big Gerry ran for office and won and he would've run for the presidency had it not been for his sex scandals, so when Fitz was young, he decided that Fitz would run and since Fitz was 10, he's been grooming him for the presidency.

As soon a Fitz walked up the steps Karen ran out and jumped on him.

"Daddy!" She screamed and gave him a tight hug as if she hadn't seen him two weeks earlier.

"Hey sweet girl," he said as he showered her with kisses. Karen giggled wildly.

"Daddy I missed you so much. Come help me with my homework."

"Sure let me just show Olivia and Cyrus to their rooms first."

Karen turned and saw Olivia and gasped.

"Olivia, you're here!" She dove out of Fitz's hand a ran over a greeted Olivia and then Cyrus.

"Hi mommy," She said as she passed Mellie and gave her a hug on her way back to Fitz.

"Hi sweetheart," Mellie said a nicely as she could, she didn't want a repeat of the tv interview in front of guests tonight and she was also trying to be a better mother to Karen, the entire interview debacle made her realized that she was severely lacking in that department.

Once they got into the main villa, some workers came out and asked to take their luggage.

Mellie practically threw hers at the maid.

Olga, one of the longtime maids asked Fitz for his luggage.

"Geez Olga I know you're strong but I can manage to carry my own luggage," Fitz said as she tried to take his luggage.

Olga chuckled in response.

Another worker approached Cyrus and took his and then Olga approached Olivia and took hers.

Then a very white haired black lady came into the foyer, she looked to be about 70 years old.

"Thomas is that you?" She asked loudly.

"Ahh yea Titi, it's me, I was just about to come see you."

"Why did you tell me you were coming, I would have made your favorite chicken."

"I wanted to surprise you Titi," He smiled and walked over and gave her hug.

He turned around to face Olivia.

"Titi, this is Olivia, she's been helping Cy run my campaign."

She walked over to shake Olivia's hand.

"I know Thomas, I watch the news you know," she chuckled and took Olivia's hand

"Hello Olivia, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tabitha but Thomas has been calling me Titi since he's been in diapers, I hate that name but it seems to be what everyone calls me now, so you might as well call me that too.."

Olivia chuckled.

"Nice to meet you Titi."

Tabitha then turned to Cyrus and patted him on the shoulders.

"Cyrus, it's been almost a year now, you old hag."

Cyrus cackled.

"Looks who's talking."

Both Fitz and Tabitha chuckled.

She completely ignored Mellie and walked back over to FItz and Karen.

"Karen, have you finished your homework?"

"No Titi but I wanted daddy to help me with it."

"Marta was doing a great job of helping you, you can play with your father once homework is finished."

"Okay," Karen said with a sulk.

Fitz walked Cyrus to his guest quarter first, then as he walked Olivia over to hers, Olivia decided to ask him a few questions she had on her mind.

"Who is Titi?"

"She was my nanny," he answered.

"Why does she still work, why hasn't she retired?"

"She did, she only came back to watch over Karen while I campaigned, I didn't want Karen to be raised by a nanny per se, so she offered to help, she's like a mother to me and a grandmother to Karen and in case you're wondering she's really well taken care of so it's not like she needs to work or anything."

"She seems a little hostile towards Mellie, why is that?"

"She can't stand her," he chuckled.

"I could've guessed that," she chuckled back.

They arrived at Olivia's quarter.

"This ranch seems to go on for miles, it could house a town," she teased.

"It's a little gauche for my taste but it has character?" he said sarcastically.

She chuckled.

"The party starts at 7, please don't be late Ms. Pope," he said courteously.

"Just please behave yourself and don't fight with your father."

"I can't make any promises," she said as he ran off.

"Fitz-" she called out to him but he kept running.

The evening progressed, Fitz avoided big Gerry who was walking around making sure everything was just how he wanted it to be for the party. By 6:50, guest started arriving, the waiters and waitress seated them or offered them champagne and hors d'oeuvres as they waited for other guests to arrive. By 7:30, Big Gerry was out in the party greeting and socializing with all his guests. Most of them were old wealthy conservative influencers, politicians or socialites. They were the 'creme de la creme' of the republican party.

The party was in full swing at 8, almost all the guests had arrived, the music was loud and laughter and chatter filled the air, everyone was looking for Fitz but he was nowhere to be found.

Olivia and Cyrus arrived a little after 8, Olivia wore a white Armani crepe knee length fitted dress with suede grey Jimmy choo's, she wore her hair pinned up and light makeup with a matte red lip, Cyrus wore a plain black suit.

After Fitz put Karen to bed at around 8:30, he headed to the party. When he walked out into the yard where all the excitement was the first face he saw was Olivia's and he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips because she looked so beautiful when she wasn't even trying. He was about to walk over to her when Big Gerry stepped into his path.

"Fitz where the hell have you been? I have people that came here specifically to see you?"

"I had to put my daughter to bed," he snapped.

"That's why you have 3 rotating nannies, let them do it."

"Look, I have a beautiful woman waiting over there, I have to go."

"Who Mellie?" he called a little confused, he was well aware that Fitz couldn't stand her.

Fitz disappeared in the crowd to find Olivia. She was in deep conversation with Cyrus and a few other guests when Fitz walked over. He chatted for awhile and shook a few hands until he could get Olivia all alone.

"You look beautiful."

She blushed.

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls, Mr. Grant?"

"Yea but I mean it when I say you and I don't like that fact all these guys are drooling over you. I'm a very jealous man Olivia."

She tried to fight off the smile that tugged on her lips, she was well aware that they were surrounded by people and even though they couldn't hear the conversation, body language spoke volumes.

"Oh yea and what are you gonna do about that?" she teased.

"Well, I'm gonna have to get you out of here first. You are going to go back to your villa and take everything off, I will be there in 10 minutes."

"We are not having sex on your ranch."

Fitz rolled his eyes.

"Oh please Olivia you know how this goes. You resist, I come over and you see me naked, your legs tremble and you do that weird blinking thing that you do but in the end you always end up begging for it," he said glibly.

"Fine, I'll see you in 10 minutes. don't be late."

"Oh I wouldn't dare."

Unbeknownst to Fitz and Olivia, big Gerry watched their entire interaction and became well aware of what was going on between them. He watched as Olivia made her way back to her quarter and he followed her. As she reached closer to her door, Gerry called out to her.

"Olivia?"

She turned around, she was a little surprised to see Gerry.

"Mr. Grant," she greeted.

"Why are you leaving so soon?" his words slurred a bit.

"Yea well, I have a long day tomorrow, I need to catch up on some sleep."

"You and Fitzgerald looked awfully chummy over there, there better not be anything going on between you and my son," he warned.

Olivia was a little shocked but she couldn't let him see that.

"You're drunk Mr. Grant, you don't know what you are talking about."

He grabbed her arm tightly and squeezed.

"I will not have my family name ruined because of you, end it now or I will end you."

"You do not put your filthy hands on me, get them off now," she screamed at him but no one could hear her over the party music

"What? You think he's going to leave his wife for you? He's in a prenup so tight he couldn't get out of it if he tried and trust me, he's tried."

Fitz had decided to make his way over to see Olivia a little earlier than he promised. He walked down the stone path and saw Olivia and Gerry, he was confused at first until he saw Gerry's fingers wrapped tightly around Olivia's arm. He sprinted over to them. Olivia was so deep in a staredown with Gerry that she didn't noticed Fitz approaching them.

He tore Gerry's hand off of her.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked angrily.

Gerry stepped back.

"Nothing, I was just speaking with Ms. Pope."

"Well the next time you speak with her make sure you keep your hands to yourself," Fitz warned.

Gerry turned around to walk away but turned back around and sucker punched Fitz. It hit him square in the jaw but he didn't flinch or wince from pain.

He flexed his jaw and walked closer to Gerry. She could feel the anger radiating off of his body and she found herself being frightened of what he may do to Gerry.

He grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and he spoke in a dangerously threatening voice.

"You were always quick to give a punch but can you take one back, you know what I can do Gerry, don't play with me and do not ever do that again," he spoke his words slowly as if he was trying to calm himself as he spoke them.

Fitz let him go and fixed his jacket as if nothing happened. Gerry was visibly shaken up but still hazy from the alcohol.

"Come on Olivia, let me walk you back to your villa," he suggested kindly.

She stood frozen, everything she just witnessed, the silent anger, the darkness in his eyes when he threatened Gerry and the calmness he maintained throughout the entire interaction reminded her of her father. She never seen that side of Fitz before, she thought she'd seen him angry before but that was just for show, his real anger was way worse and it scared her.

"Are... you okay?' she stuttered.

He chuckled.

"Oh that, no I'm fine," he shrugged playfully.

"Are you sure, he punched you pretty hard?"

"It didn't hurt, I promise. Did he hurt you?"

She had forgotten about her hand.

"No, no, I'm fine," she lied even though she was sure all five of Gerry's fingers would be clear as day on her arm tomorrow.

"Okay Livie, let's go."

When they got back to the room, he could see that something was bothering her, she kept fidgeting.

"Olivia are you okay?"

She was hesitant to answer but then decided to tell him the truth.

"I've never seen you that angry before, it was a little scary."

"I wasn't angry, I was just annoyed."

"I could feel the anger radiating off of your body, you were angry. You looked like it took everything in you not to seriously hurt him."

He could tell that she was genuinely frightened and the last thing in the world that he wanted was for her to be afraid of him.

"I was a little angry but I'm not anymore, I'm fine. Don't worry about my anger, I would never ever hurt you, okay."

"Okay."

"What did Gerry say to you before I got there?"

"Nothing he was just drunk and blathering."

Fitz accepted her answer.

"Can I see your arm he seemed to have grabbed it pretty tightly."

"It's fine."

"If it's fine then let me see it?"

"Fitz-"

"Don't 'Fitz' me, let me see it Livie."

She realized he wasn't backing down.

"Fine, help me zip down my dress."

She turned around so he could zip her down and then she pulled her long sleeve down and stepped out of her dress and clear as day was a purple handprint on her upper arm.

"What did he say to you?"

"Nothing."

"There's no way he did this to you over a nothing conversation."

She kicked off her heels and sat on the bed with her arms folded.

"Okay fine I'll go ask Gerry."

He turned to walk about but she jumped of the bed and grabbed his arm.

"Fine, he knows about us, he may or may not have threatened to end me but as you said he's drunk, he might not remember this tomorrow."

"That's why I'm going to talk to him tonight."

"No you're not, you're going to come lay with me and forget about your father. You can take out all your frustration on me in the bed or on the floor or in the shower. Take your pick?"

Fitz folded his arms like a petulant child. He knew she trying to distract him and it was working.

"Fine, in the shower."


	7. Chapter 7

October was as eventful as it was hectic. With only one week left until the general election, it was a dead heat between Fitz and Reston. Hollis and Verna had been parked on the campaign firmly for the past two weeks. With the election so close, everyone was nervous and excited. Fitz was away in New York attending the Al Smith dinner when Cyrus called her for a meeting in his office. When she got to his office, she was surprised by the other attendees, Hollis, Verna, Mellie; who had just come back from a rally and Big Gerry. Luckily for her Gerry didn't remember their encounter at his birthday, neither did he remember his fight with Fitz for he had been devastatingly drunk and was clueless the morning after the party.

She sat down at the chair Cyrus pulled out for her and waited for them to begin.

"Olivia as you know the election is only one week away and it's going to be close," Cyrus began.

"I know, that is why we'll be doing everything possible to reach the undecided voters within the next week."

"I can't count on undecided voters, they flip flop too much."

"Well, what's your plan then, cause that's our best hope, elections aren't free, we had the lead and we lost it."

"Yes thanks to Mellie's dumb stunt, we lost our lead," Gerry interjected angrily.

"I have apologized for that more times than I can count, I'm sorry," Mellie replied in defense.

"Yes, the only reason I allowed you to marry my son was because I thought you could help him win this thing but it turns out you're doing the opposite so tell me again what purpose you serve?"

"That's enough!" Olivia said loudly, she could see that Mellie was upset at Gerry berating her as annoying as Mellie was, she didn't deserve to be spoken to in that way.

"Why did you call this meeting Cyrus?"

Cyrus was about to speak but he hesitated so Hollis interjected.

"I know a way we can secure this election for our boy," he said in his deep country accent.

"What are you talking about exactly?" she asked puzzled.

"What Hollis means is that we have a way we can secure the election in our favor, so to speak." Gerry answered.

Olivia was quiet for a moment, she needed to think.

"The fact that you're telling me this suggest that you have every intention of doing whatever it is that you need to do so he can win."

"Yes," Cyrus answered.

"It's a no from me. I'm not okay with this, not even a little bit and I can't believe you would even consider that, it's not the end of the world if he loses, he can run again next term."

"Grant men don't lose, that's not an option for us," Gerry said sternly.

"Oh yeah, it that why you never run for president?" she said snidely.

"Be very careful Ms. Pope," Gerry warned.

"No. You be very careful, what you guys are suggesting is a federal crime, so I hope it was in fact, just a suggestion."

"It's already done. The plan has been set in motion by Hollis. It's happening," Cyrus said.

"So then why call me here if my opinion doesn't matter and you guys were going to do it anyway?"

"You manage the campaign with me, I thought you should know," Cyrus answered.

"Or you wanted to make sure that I was in deep with all of you so that I would keep my mouth shut."

"Olivia please listen," Cyrus plead.

She got up out of her chair.

"No Cyrus, is this why you asked me to come here?"

"Olivia would you have rather not known because if you tell anyone about this and try to deny your involvement it's 5 of us and one of you and don't forget about Fitz, he would go down too. Think about Karen, both her parents and her grandparent would be in jail, is that what you want?" Verna said from across the room.

Olivia didn't say anything in response, she just turned and walked out the room. She took the rest of the day off and went back to her hotel. She was still trying to process what she had just gotten herself thrown into. She heard a knock on her door, she knew it must've been Cyrus coming to try and convince her that what they were doing was necessary.

She looked through the peephole and it was definitely him so she opened the door and let him in.

"Liv, I know you're upset but you have to understand that I didn't want you involved in this but they forced me."

"Why would you even agree to do this anyways, it's wrong Cyrus and don't for one second pretend that it isn't."

"I know it's wrong but he deserves this Liv, you know that the only reason we're in this mess is because of Mellie, why should he be punished for her mistake."

"That doesn't make it right Cyrus, if he finds out he -"

Cyrus cut her off.

"Olivia you can not tell him. Do you understand me?"

"And if I do, then what?"

"You don't want to mess with Gerry and Hollis, they're rich and they know people who can kill you and no one would ever find your body."

"Oh please, it's what they told you to make you agree? So I'm in this mess because you're a pussy."

"You think if I said no they wouldn't have still gone ahead and done it. It's done Olivia accept it and keep your mouth shut about it because if even a word of this gets around were all done."

"Leave!" She walked over to the door and held it open for him to leave. Cyrus got the message and stormed out.

Fitz returned from the dinner late that night. She was hoping he wouldn't visit her but she knew he would, as long as he was in the same hotel as her, he was going to come visit her. He came later than usual, around 12am, his flight back from New York was a late one, she had given him a copy of her room key since they made up after the first presidential debate so he let himself in.

She was lying, wrapped up in her comforter, half asleep. He didn't say anything, he just walked over to the bed and got under the sheets with her. Fitz usually slept on his back, so she moved over had rested her head on his chest, the way she usually did when they slept together. Within no time, they were both asleep.

The next morning, Olivia woke up around 6, Fitz was still sleeping so she went ahead and showered. She came out of the shower at 6:30 and was a little surprised when Fitz was still fast asleep. She walked over to the bed and tapped him gently on the shoulder.

"Fitz, wake up."

He didn't respond which was unusual because he was usually a light sleeper.

She nudged him again.

"Fitz you have to wake up."

He stretched in his sleep and then opened his eyes and sat up.

"What time is it?" he asked as he yawned.

"It's 6:30."

"I am so tired, I could sleep until 12."

"But you can't because you have 3 early voter rallies today, you have to revise your victory and concession speeches and you have a satellite interview tonight."

He sighed.

"Okay, I'm up."

She turned around to head back to the bathroom.

"Livie, are you okay?"

She stopped and turned around to face him.

"I feel fine, why do you ask?"

He got up from under the sheet and walked over to her.

"I don't know I just feel like something is off with you, you seem a little somber."

"Oh no I'm okay but I want to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me."

Fitz nodded.

"Do you want to be president or are you just running because you could run?"

Fitz didn't reply for a while, she could tell he was seriously thinking about his response.

"At first I was just running because that's what everyone around me had been telling me I was supposed to do since I was about 10 years old but then once I got on the trail and started meeting people and hearing their problems, I realized that I wanted it. I want to win. I'm not crazy about all the excitement that comes with being President because I'm a laid back guy and I don't like attention but if that's what it takes to be able to help those people then I'll do it."

She smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"I love you."

He chuckled.

"I love you too Livie."

He puckered his lips and gave her a playful slobbery kiss on the lips.

"Ew Fitz, you're disgusting," she chuckled.

"Finally, a smile."

She rolled her eyes.

"Just go to your room.." she scolded.

"Fine but only because you're kicking me out."

He slapped her on the ass and then hurried out before she could scold him.

Gerry and Hollis left before Fitz got back. Around 9am, Fitz left on his flight to Florida, Mellie accompanied him. Verna and Cyrus tried talking to Olivia but she wasn't trying to hear it. She avoided them entirely and kept herself busy with organizing the election night event that was to be held in California. After running around all day, the minute she stepped into her office, Cyrus cornered her.

"Liv, talk to me, I know you're mad."

"I'm not mad, I actually don't care anymore, it's not like I can do anything to stop it, I just need this whole circus to be over so I can move on with my life."

"So you're not mad at me?" Cyrus asked.

"Nope, I just don't want to talk to you or see you."

"So you're mad at me?"

"Just leave me alone Cyrus. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight. "

She grabbed her purse and coat and headed back to her hotel. She repeated the same routine for days as she tried not to think about what they were planning to do with the election that was coming up in three days, she tried not to think about what would happen if they got caught or how Fitz would feel about it if he found out. If she was being honest with herself, she wanted Fitz to win more than anything and if she hadn't been in love with him the would've been repulsed at idea of stealing an election in his favor but ever since he admitted how much he wanted to win, she accepted what they were doing and she tried not to think about how much of her morals she was throwing away so that one man could be happy.

It was November 2nd, the election was only 2 days away. The campaign office was desolate as most of the veteran volunteers and interns were being flown out to California for the election night event. The volunteers and interns that signed on later in the campaign, were thrown a huge party and given visa gift cards for their service by Fitz.

On their way to the airport, Fitz got a call from Titi, telling him that Gerry had been rushed to the hospital after they found him drunk and unconscious. The plane ride was awkward and quiet. After everything that had happened in the last few days with the rigging of the election, Olivia didn't know what to think, she wasn't a superstitious person but she couldn't help but think it was some sort of recompense for his part in it. Fitz seemed indifferent and didn't say a word during the plane ride. On the ride to the hospital, Titi called him to let him know that Gerry didn't make it. No one was particularly sad about Gerry passing, Karen cried a little, she didn't really understand the depth of the situation. Fitz was distant and aloof but acted somber as everyone around gave him their condolences. The timing for Gerry's death couldn't have been worse. With the election only two days away, Gerry's death covered the news cycles. They suspended all campaign events featuring Fitz, not because Fitz cared but for the optics. Mellie took it upon herself to plan the funeral, it was to take place a couple days after the election. Olivia didn't really get a chance to speak with Fitz privately since Gerry's passing. As much as she tried, every time she found him, he was writing Gerry's eulogy or requested to be left alone, she didn't want to push him, so she let him be.

 **Election night.**

With the exception of Fitz, all the heads of the Grant campaign gathered in the conference room at the Grant election night event. Olivia hadn't seen Fitz all day and she couldn't take it anymore. She saw Mellie conversing with Cyrus in the corner, talking about what they were to do once they got in the white house no doubt. They didn't look the least bit worried or nervous about the results. She decided to interrupt them, to her, they seemed to be advertising to the world that they had already won, to everyone else, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"You know, you guys can at least act like you're not first lady and chief of staff for a couple more hours," she scolded quietly.

"Relax Liv, you're overreacting," he chuckled.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention to Mellie.

"Can I talk to you for a moment Mellie."

"Sure, Liv anything after you worked your magic after that Karen fiasco," she smiled sweetly.

"Is the governor okay, I haven't seen or heard from him all day?"

Mellie playfully tapped her shoulder.

"Fitz is fine, he keeps to himself when he's dealing with things, don't worry about him."

"His father just passed, you should maybe talk to him, it might make him feel better," Olivia suggested with a little too much affection, it caught Mellie's attention.

"If there's one thing I know about Fitzgerald, it is that he hated Gerry with every fiber of his being okay. He is not mourning Gerry's death, if anything it might have brought up old memories of his mother's passing but trust me he'll be fine if anything he should be celebrating, he's one of the 25 richest people in the country," Mellie was overjoyed, she leaned closer to Olivia.

"Between me and you it was about time the ole bastard kicked the bucket anyways," she chuckled.

Olivia looked at her seriously for a moment. Sometimes she couldn't tell if Mellie was being serious or joking but she was usually repulsed, either way, she just shook her head and walked away.

All the polls had closed and the results were only hours away. Olivia went back to her room at the Grant guest villa to watch the coverage by herself, she figured she could make her way back to the election event after the results were announced. All the exit polls had Fitz in the lead, which was strange, if he was truly losing the exit polls would have him behind the actual vote. All the news stations began calling states, in favor of Fitz or Reston. After sometime she couldn't stand to watch anymore, Fitz was clearly winning and knowing what she knew, she couldn't pretend to be anxious about the results when she already knew he won. She turned the tv off and kicked her shoes off and wrapped herself in the bed sheets. She laid lazily until she heard a knock on her door. She got up to answer and to her surprise, it was Fitz.

She opened her door so he could come in.

"I've barely seen you in days, are you okay? No don't answer that, it was a stupid question...but seriously how are you doing?" Olivia fired her questions so quickly it caused Fitz to chuckle.

"Livie I'm okay."

"Are you sure? I mean… I don't want to annoy you but I've been a little worried about you, your father just passed. I know when my mother passed I almost went crazy, I just want to make sure your head is in the right place."

Fitz was a little shocked at her revelation.

"I didn't know your mother passed, I've asked you how your parents were doing several times and you told me they were alright."

"Umm… that's what I usually tell people, it's not really easy for me to talk about my parents."

Fitz stepped closer to her and enveloped her in his arms and kissed her forehead and let his lips linger there. Olivia buried her head in his embrace, she felt like she needed the hug more than he did.

He was about to let her go but she stopped him.

"No, don't let go, not yet," she hated how needy she sounded but she couldn't help it.

She could feel him grinning.

"Is it weird that you're the one who's father just died but I'm the one who needs to be coddled." she murmured softly.

He chuckled.

"No, not weird at all."

"Fitz?"

"Yeah," he answered softly.

She looked up at him, she met his gaze and saw how sad his eyes were.

"It's okay to feel sad about Gerry's death. You may not have gotten along with him but he was still your father and I know that means something to you and I think you should forgive him for the things that he's done, if you can. It will help you to move on and bury and unresolved feelings you had towards him. It may not happen today, or tomorrow or even next year but one day, without even realizing it, you will have forgiven him."

He held her tighter.

"That's exactly what my mother would have said to me if she were here, you sound like her sometimes."

Fitz needed to change the subject, things were getting too emotional for him, Olivia had the tendency to do that to him.

"Why aren't you watching the election coverage?" he asked randomly.

"I couldn't, why aren't you watching it?"

"I was at the lake all day."

"You need to go back to the election event, I missed you all day and they have too."

Fitz released her from his arms and walked over to the tv remote.

"You're the campaign manager, you should be there too," he countered.

"Fair enough."

He was about to turn on the tv.

"No, don't, I can't watch it."

Fitz raised his eyebrows.

"Am I losing that badly, I thought some people would at least vote for me because of my hair," he chuckled.

"No that's not it, I think you were winning all the exit polls last time I checked but-"

"But nothing come watch with me, Karen's with Titi and everyone else is that the election event, it's just us."

"Okay," she relented and walked laid on the bed. Fitz turned on the tv and joined her in bed.

They watched as they announced, county by county, state by state. Fitz was calm, Olivia, on the other hand, was a nervous mess. Fitz was winning by a lot even though they didn't feel comfortable enough to call the election in his favor. She couldn't believe they would rob the election by so many votes, none of the polls predicted that Fitz would win by so much. The closer they got to calling the election for Fitz, the more Olivia's anxiety rose. Fitz had been noticing but it was getting pretty bad.

"Livie, it's not the end of the world if I lose, you know that right."

"I know, I know," she said nervously.

"This just in, we can officially call this election, the new president of the United States is Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the third, the republican nominee and 44th president of the united states."

Immediately Fitz's arms were around her again.

"Livie we won!" he said happily. He playfully wrestled her to the floor in celebration, she found herself giggling even though all she wanted to do was cry. Fitz picked up his phone and the calls were coming in so fast, his phone was in a constant state of vibration.

"Oh shit, everyone is calling me, we should probably go," he pulled her up off the floor.

There was still something off about her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea I'm fine, I'm just so very happy for you," she smiled.

"Well I couldn't have done it without you?"

"Yes, you could have now let's get back before they send a search party for you."

They made their way back to the event, separately. Olivia searched for Cyrus but she could barely find him through all the confetti and balloons and bottles of champagne being opened.

Once she found him she pulled him out of the crowd into a private room.

"Are you kidding me, he won by a landslide Cyrus, don't you think that going to raise questions? How can you guys be so careless all the polls said it was going to be close. If you are going to do what you did, don't be so fucking conspicuous about it," she was screaming but the music playing blocked anyone but Cyrus from hearing.

"Calm down Li,." he laughed.

"The polls were wrong, we only tampered with one county in Ohio, it was barely 5 thousand votes, just so he would win the Ohio electorates, the rest was all him. Now who doesn't have faith, our boy did it Liv, lighten up."

Cyrus patted her on the shoulder and ran off.

She stayed for a while and convinced herself that what they did wouldn't have made a difference in the end and eventually went outside to join everyone else.

 **Day of the inauguration.**

"You know they're going to come and get you any minute now right?" she reminded.

He pouted.

"I have a gift for you."

He raised his eyebrows mischievously.

"Not that kind of gift," she scolded.

He chuckled.

She took a tiny box out of her pocket.

"It's Eisenhower's pin, it has 48 stars on it, I wanted to give you something special. I won it at auction."

"You are my something special."

"Don't get me all emotional and sappy, I have mascara on," she warned him playfully.

"Okay but really you didn't have to get me anything."

"I know but I wanted to and it's very rare so never take it off or I will cut you."

"This is an amazing gift, I love it and the press is gonna love it."

She smiled at him.

"Come on it's time to go, the inauguration is gonna start soon."

 **DAY OF THE STATE OF THE UNION.**

"Cyrus if you see Olivia please tell her that I need to speak with her in the oval."

"No problem sir, I should be meeting up with her in a few."

Fitz got back to work in the oval while Cyrus headed to meet Olivia and Verna in his office. He could hear Olivia and Verna bickering.

"I can't force him to make you a supreme court justice, you're gonna have to wait your turn because he's dead set on Judge Miller," Olivia snapped.

"Can you guys stop the bickering, shit!" Cyrus said in frustration.

"Olivia, Fitz needs you in his office."

"Here's the thing and I need both of you to hear me when I saw this. If President Grant doesn't announce me as the supreme court nominee there will be hell to pay, I didn't compromise my morals so that I could be left with nothing."

"I can't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do so you'll just have to wait until the next justice retires or dies if you don't like that then too bad," Olivia said callously.

"If you can't make him nominate me, then you're out of luck-." Verna threatened.

"Here's the thing Verna, I don't disagree with you because I have been feeling out of luck lately, you know ever since you guys pulled me into the never ending shitstorm that you let those two idiots convince you to agree with. I'm done, from now on any favors you need or threats you need to make you can go to Cyrus because I can't deal with this anymore," Olivia stormed out.

She remembered that Fitz wanted to see her but she was sure it was it was nothing work related. She'd been avoiding him since the night of the inauguration when they christened everything in the oval office. She remembered how disgusted she felt afterwards and wondered if that was what her life would be like; screwing him whenever and wherever he wanted, while his wife walked the halls clueless and they prayed the day never came where they got caught. She didn't know what she was thinking when she quit the firm and came to work at the white house, it was mostly because Fitz begged her weeks after the election, she was adamant about not working for him but one night in a post orgasm trance, she said yes and he held her to her word.

She went back to her office, she was in the middle of a phone conference when Fitz came looking for her.

"Olivia-" he said as he walked into the office.

She motioned with her hand that she was on the phone. He stood and waited for about 30 seconds before he got annoyed and unplugged the power cord from the phone.

"Fitz!" Olivia almost yelled but she remembered her door was open.

"Why have you been avoiding me, did I do something?"

"I haven't been avoiding you, I've been busy with work."

"Well that sounds like bullshit," he said flatly.

She rolled her eyes.

"Just go."

"Are you gonna let me know what's wrong with you?"

Olivia looked up and the ceiling.

"What's wrong with me? Oh I don't know maybe I'm tired of being the Sally Hemmings to your Thomas Jefferson, maybe I'm tired of banging a married man or maybe I'm just tired of not being able to look your wife in the eye knowing what I do to her husband when nobody's watching."

Fitz was a little shocked and hurt by the things Olivia was saying. He opened his mouth to respond when Cyrus walked in and grabbed Fitz out the room.

"Sir were waiting for you at the meeting."

Fitz turned and stormed out the door.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, she didn't even know she had been feeling some of those things until she said them out loud but she also partly regretted it because she knew Fitz wasn't going to let it go.

Later that night, she snuck out to the rose garden to get some air. She stood quietly as she faced the roses but she was staring at nothing in particular. She had been thinking about resigning for about a week, she didn't want to make a rash decision, she knew she needed to think it through. After earning a yearly 7 figure salary for the few years that she worked at the firm in addition to the very generous salary the Fitz offered her for her work at the campaign she knew finance wouldn't be an issue. She knew finding a job wouldn't be hard either but she didn't want to work for anyone, she wanted to be her own boss. She was so lost in thought that she didn't see Fitz standing behind her.

"Olivia that Thomas Jefferson-Sally Hemmings comment was below the belt."

She turned around to face him.

"Because it's so untrue?"

"Yes it's untrue, this is not one sided, I told you I loved you and I meant it when I said it!" he said angrily.

"Yea I'm sure that's what Thomas told Sally."

he scoffed

"Don't you dare question my love for you!"

His voice cracked with a deep hurt that she'd never seen from him before.

She felt the tears trickle down her cheeks.

"Fitz, where can this go? Really? You are married, you have a child and you're the president. You're unavailable. You celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with her-"

"So this is about Mellie? " he said cutting her off.

"No, I smile at her and take off my clothes for you. I wait for you. I watch for you. My whole life is you. I can't breathe because I'm waiting for you. You own me, you control me, I belong to you and I can't hold my breath and wait for someone that I can never have. I can't be near you anymore because I feel like I'm falling apart, " she cried.

"You own me! You control me. I belong to you."

Fitz yelled so loud it startled her.

"You think I don't want to be a better man? You think that I don't want to dedicate myself to my marriage? I can't Olivia because I love you. I'm in love with you. You're the love of my life. My every feeling is controlled by the look on your face. I can't breathe without you. I can't sleep without you. I wait for you, I watch for you. I exist for you. You're nobody's victim, Liv. I belong to you. We're in this together."

Olivia was speechless, she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Are you going to say anything?" he asked.

She couldn't form a coherent thought or word.

He scoffed and stormed off.

She stood there for some time just trying to process everything that just happened. She heard the clicking of heels coming towards her. She turned around to see Mellie.

"Hello, Olivia."

"Mellie-"

"You know I was willing to turn my head the other way when I found out you were fucking my husband."

She could see the shock on Olivia's face.

"Oh, you didn't know that I knew? I hate to be underestimated Olivia, I'm a smart woman, my husband never saw that though, he's too busy worshipping at your altar."

"Mellie I don't know what you're talking about?" was all Olivia managed to come up with.

"You two have done a terrible job of hiding it, you're a little less obvious than my husband, but he, on the other hand, can't keep his eyes or hands off you, and the way he says your name; 'livie' it was just too obvious, I'm surprised rumors haven't started already."

She scoffed.

"When did you out find out?" Olivia asked quietly.

"In the days after you came, I realized he was watching you, which was unusual because Fitz never really paid other women attention even though we haven't been together for years. His request not mine because between us gals; he's quite the lover."

Mellie shrugged off a memory.

"Anywho, I wasn't worried at first, you're a pretty, young girl, what man wouldn't look but then he started to hang on to your word like it was gospel and he only ever cared about what you had to say and everything that came out of your mouth was the most brilliant thing that was ever said. Still I wasn't convinced until he said what he said at the debate. I knew he didn't mean it but I still thought it was nice of him to say to me until I realized he was looking directly at you and that was all the proof I needed but as life would have it I happened to overhear my husband's poetic confession of his love to you and well, it hurts. He's never given me a not even a piece of that and although my pride is wounded now that I know how deep his affection runs for you, I can use it against him."

Mellie paused and smiled charmingly.

"If he utters another word about a divorce, I will throw you and him out to the press to putrefy and don't take it the wrong way, I like you but there is no way I'm getting left out in cold after 14 years of being the trophy wife when everything finally started paying off, we have the money, we have the power and we have the fame, I'm not gonna step aside so Fitz can replace me with you."

Mellie didn't wait for a reply from Olivia, she just turned and walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

She sat on the couch with her resignation letter in hand. She waited nervously as she waited for Fitz to return from his meeting. She briefly thought about just placing the letter on his desk and leaving but she knew he'd want answers.

After some time, she heard Fitz's voice in the hallway, outside of the office. Within seconds he strode into the office, completely surprised by her presence.

"Livie? What are you doing here?" he didn't seem to harbor any malice from their encounter last night.

"I have something I needed to give you something, well...actually I thought about just leaving it on your desk but I feel like you deserved better than that so I wanted to give you in person."

She walked over to him and handed him her resignation letter.

She saw a few different expressions cross his face as he read the letter.

"So much for two weeks notice huh?"

"I just think it's for the best, I love you and me being here every day is jeopardizing your presidency. I don't want anyone to have any reason to say you were anything other than an absolutely perfect president."

He walked over to the window, his back turned to her.

"What will you do after this?"

"I don't know, I think I'm gonna move back to New York, maybe take a break for a little while before I get another job."

He didn't reply.

"Fitz, are you gonna be okay?" she asked softly.

After a while, he answered.

"Of course not but I'm sure that's not going to stop you from leaving."

"You know I have to. Fitz look at me-"

He wouldn't, he stood unmoving towards the window with his back firmly faced towards her.

She walked over to him and tugged on his arm to try to get him to face her.

"Fitz, why won't you look at me?"

He didn't budge.

"Fitzgerald you look at me right now!"

He refused to face her.

She sighed in frustration and walked out slowly sensing that was about as much of a goodbye she was going to get.

A week later…

"Abby, I just had the most brilliant idea but I have to ask you something first?"

"Sure?"

"If I opened my firm, would you work with me?"

"If you're not a bitch as my boss then I'd be honored," Abby chuckled through the phone.

"Okay so here's the thing, I'm thinking about starting my own firm, here in Washington but not a law firm exactly, a crisis management firm. What do you think?"

"A crisis management firm?" Abby asked skeptically.

"Yea, you know how politicians, CEOs, those sort of people get themselves in criminal or PR crisis all the time…"

Abby was silent for a moment.

"Oh shit Liv, I think that's brilliant."

"How soon would you be able to come to D.C., I need to go apartment hunting, I have literally been living out of the same hotel since the end of the election."

"Oh god, how do you manage that?"

"It's been hell but I was so busy I was never really motivated to find an apartment, I've been looking at some apartments online, I was thinking when you come down here we could go check them out."

"Okay, I'll be there tomorrow."

The first thing they did when Abby came, was to go apartment hunting. After a week of looking for apartments, they found the perfect one. A gorgeous 2-bedroom in a high-rise luxury rental. Within a week Olivia and Abby had flown from D.C. to New York 2 times, in order to successfully pack and ship all the items from her New York apartment to D.C., cancel her New York lease, complete all the paperwork required with moving. One she had settled in the apartment, she made calls to Harrison and Stephen and they were in.

The hunt for an office space began, once that was done, she got to the paperwork, there was a lot of paperwork to be done. Luckily she had the help of Harrison and Abby, who were both jobless before she called them. Stephen was working at a firm and she advised him not to leave until she got everything in order on her end. Abby was prepared to live with her but Olivia decided against it and instead paid the deposit and the 1st three months rent for both her and Harrison, so they could each have their own space.

Within a couple months, O.P.A. was up and running, Olivia used her contacts to get her a few articles in some of D.C.'s top newspapers and with that the clients started trickling in. She had a few large corporations on retainer and within 4 months, she saw a return on her investment. Abby, Harrison, and Stephen worked flawlessly but she felt like something was missing, then she remembered Huck and brought him unto O.P.A. as well.

She stayed far away from the white house, she hadn't seen or spoken to Fitz since she resigned but based on what she saw in the media, he seemed to be doing fine. She tried to go on a few dates when she realized it had been 8 months since she broke things off with Fitz and that if she kept on comparing every man she came in contact with to Fitz, she'd be alone forever but the dates didn't work out. She spoke with Cyrus every once in a while although she was sure he was mad at her for not coming to his wedding, their relationship had been severely strained since the election.

It was almost 10 months since she resigned when Cyrus called her, she was busy so she didn't answer, she assumed it was for their regular dose of awkward small talk. When she finished with her meeting and checked her phone, she saw 5 missed calls from Cyrus which was strange, she knew it must have been an emergency because Cyrus never called more than once no matter how important it was, if you didn't pick up then he would figure out how to do it himself.

She dialed his number as she ran back to her office and closed the door.

"Cyrus, why have you called me 5 times, what could possibly be that important?" she asked calmly, even though she was a little anxious.

"We are in a little trouble over here and we need your help."

"When you say 'a little trouble' what do you mean?"

"I mean I can't talk about it over the phone."

"Whatever it is that you've gotten yourself in, I'm not getting involved Cy, not after last time."

"It's not like that Liv please, he needs you."

Those were the magic words, they were all she needed to hear.

"Fine, meet me at our spot in 20 minutes."

She hung up and headed out. When she got to the bench, Cyrus was there waiting.

"You're early? This must be serious."

Cyrus started blathering before she could even sit down.

"This intern from the office is saying she's sleeping with him, you have to shut her up, I would do it but I'm linked to the white house, you on the other hand as a private citizen, can do or say whatever you want."

Olivia could feel the anger slowly percolating inside of her.

"So you want me to go bully the girl he's fucking, is that it?"

"Olivia he's not sleeping with her, he flat-out denied it."

Olivia huffed.

"He's a liar."

Cyrus put his hands up defensively.

"Woah woah, how do you know that?"

She took a deep breath.

"Because I used to be the one who was fucking him, only I was smart enough to keep it to myself and you wanna know what else? This sounds like your problem, not mine!"

Olivia got up and stormed off.

Cyrus practically ran back to the white house, he burst into the oval, wild-eyed.

"Everybody out!" he ordered.

Fitz was in the middle of a staff meeting and he looked up at Cyrus confused but when he saw how angry Cyrus he became intrigued as to why.

"Let's take a break, we can resume in an hour," he announced.

All the staff members quickly scurried away.

When they were all out, Cyrus closed the door.

"You and Olivia, really Fitz," Cyrus said through clenched teeth. He really wanted to scream but he couldn't have anyone eavesdropping on their conversation.

"What are you talking about?"

"Guess who I just finished speaking with?"

Cyrus didn't give him a chance to answer even though Fitz didn't plan to.

"Olivia, I told her about the girl-"

Immediately Fitz whole demeanor changed

"You did what? I told you not to say anything to her," Fitz yelled not caring if anyone heard.

"Well I did, she runs a crisis management firm, we have a crisis on our hands. When I explained to her what was going on she didn't believe for one moment that you didn't touch that girl, do you wanna know why even though I'm sure you already do."

"Calm down Cyrus."

"Calm down? Calm down? I did not bring her on the campaign so you could fuck her," Cyrus said in an angry whisper.

"This conversation is over, you can show yourself out," Fitz commanded.

"This is not over, Olivia will not help us and this girl is a ticking time bomb-"

"I said GET OUT!" Fitz yelled

With that, Cyrus stormed out angrily.

Cyrus tried calling Olivia a few times, but she wasn't picking up. He went to O.P.A to look for her but she wasn't there so he went back to the white house to figure out another way to deal with the situation without Olivia's help.

Fitz was irate, the last thing he wanted was for Olivia to find out. He couldn't imagine what she thought of him and although he knew where she lived and had known for months, he couldn't bring himself to go there and face her.

For the rest of the day, he couldn't focus on anything but Olivia. He ended up having to reschedule a few meetings so he could just sit in the oval and gather himself.

It was just afternoon when Cyrus daily mail was delivered. He went through them one by one as he brainstormed ways to deal with the situation. One package stood out to him particularly, it was a huge legal sized envelope but something odd was in it. He opened it and found a small cassette tape and a recorder in it, it had a piece of tape stuck to with the words 'give it to your boss.' scribbled on it.

He played the recording and about a minute in, he sprinted to the oval.

"Fitz, you have to hear this."

"Cyrus not now."

"No, right now, you need to hear this."

Cyrus was quickly beside him playing the recording.

Halfway through the recording, Fitz threw his head back in frustration.

"Sir there are no demands?" Cyrus asked confused.

"There are no demands because she plans to release it or she wants us to reach out to her with an offer."

Cyrus threw his hands up in frustration.

"We are sitting ducks here without Olivia, I'm gonna go and call her."

"Cyrus I thought I made it clear that I did not want her involved."

"Given that you just heard I don't think that applies anymore."

"Cyrus, she will not be involved in this. Just find the girl and pay her whatever she wants."

Cyrus huffed.

"Fine!" and then he about-face and stormed out.

Fitz had Charlotte cancel the rest of his day, what little meetings he had left after he moved most of the rest of his meeting and went to the residence.

Olivia went back to her apartment and locked herself up. She wasn't so much angry, as she was hurt. The thought of Fitz with someone else made her insides mangle. She knew she left him to be with Mellie but she didn't actually believe he would do anything with her. The only thing that hurt more than knowing he slept with someone else was the fact that she had absolutely no right to be upset, after all, he wasn't hers.

She laid for hours, consumed by her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. She decided not to answer because it was 11pm in the night, what could anyone possibly want with her at that time.

The knocking continued and continued and continued…

She jumped up and stormed to the door. She stopped and checked the peephole and saw Tom.

She opened the door.

"Tom, what are you doing here?"

Tom didn't reply, he just stepped aside to reveal Fitz.

"Can I come in?"

She didn't respond, she just stepped aside so he could enter.

They stood in silence for a while. He couldn't read her expression as she stood with the blanket wrapped around her.

"Livie, I'm sorry."

She was quiet for a few moments then she responded.

"Don't apologize to me I'm not your wife."

He sighed.

"Olivia-"

"Why did you come here?" she murmured.

"I wanted to give you a heads up, there is a tape of me and the girl."

He saw the tears well up in her eyes and spill down her cheeks.

"Livie-" he tried to comfort her but she wouldn't let him.

"I'm fine," she said as she wiped her eyes and cheeks.

"So you came here because you need my help, I already told Cyrus no, he wants me to go and bully her into shutting up and I'm not going to do it."

"I told Cyrus not to involve you but he went ahead and did it anyways."

She walked over to the couch and sat with her arms wrapped around her legs.

"It is audio or video?"

"Audio," he said as he walked over to the couch and sat on the other end.

"Is your voice recognizable?"

"Yes but I never actually said anything."

"And the girl?"

She could see that he was hesitant.

"The whole world is gonna hear it, Fitz."

"She was mostly moaning, I guess, she said a few things but it wasn't very intelligible."

"So it could be anyone?"

"Yea pretty much?"

"What else do you remember?"

"I don't remember anything, everything that I just told you was from what I heard when I played the tape for all I know she could have taken the condom off and gotten herself pregnant."

"Why don't you remember anything?"

Fitz sighed.

"Because I was drunk."

"You never get drunk."

"It was a bad day," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"So what are you going to do about this?"

"Cyrus is trying to figure something out."

"Cyrus will shoot that girl in the face himself if that's what it takes to shut her up."

"Cyrus isn't that crazy."

"He is that crazy."

She took a deep breath and scooted closer to him.

"I'll help you."

"Olivia I don't want you to get involved in this, it's embarrassing enough that you know already."

"I wasn't asking," She scolded lightly.

"Why do you want to help?"

"Because… I don't want people to judge you for this."

"But they should judge me for this because I did do it."

"Why are you doing that?" She asked annoyed.

"I just don't want you making any excuses for me."

"I'm not making excuses for you, you said it was a mistake and I believe you"

She paused

"I can see that you're still hurt by me leaving and I just want you to know that I want the best for you even if it means that I can't be apart of your life"

"Telling me that doesn't make me miss you any less," he murmured sadly.

She smiled.

"You're so stubborn, you're like a spoiled man baby."

"Oddly enough I've been called that before."

They were both laughing.

"I have something for you."

"Fitz no gifts, I told you I don't want you buying anything for me."

"I didn't buy it, it's a family heirloom."

Fitz took the small ring out of his pocket.

"I wanted to give it to you the morning you resigned but obviously I couldn't. Then I thought I could give it to you at Cyrus' wedding but when you didn't show up I surmised it had everything to do with avoiding me. I've been walking around with it in my pocket ever since."

Olivia gave him the side eye.

"And you didn't buy it, you say?"

"No, my great, great-great-grandfather bought it for his wife and when she passed, he gave it to his son to give to the woman he loved and it's been passed down ever since. Gerry gave it to my mom and when she died, he told me to give it to the woman I love. I obviously couldn't give it to Mellie plus you can't exactly put a ring on a horse hoof, you only make that mistake once."

Olivia rolled her eyes and laughed.

"So Livie, what do you think?"

"I think I love it."

The smiled that spread across his face made her blush.

She held out her index finger so he could slip the ring on. She noticed something as she inspected the ring on her finger.

"There's an inscription here, what is this?...French?"

"Yea, it means-"

"Sweet baby- I know french Fitz," she chuckled.

"It's a funny thing to write on a ring but I think it gives it character - I just wanted to give you something special because I really have missed you and not seeing you for this past year has been hard-"

"Fitz I-"

"No, I'm not telling you this for you to come back-I don't know… I guess I just really want you to know how much and how deeply I love you and I've had almost a year to think about how selfish I've been. I never considered your feelings in this and I'm sorry for that. I understand why you left."

Olivia mused at him as he spoke, she didn't notice the tears that rolled down her cheeks until she felt Fitz's hand on her cheeks wiping them away.

When she look up, his eyes met hers and before she knew it she was kissing him, softly, over and over again.

Fitz was taken off guard by the kiss as delighted as he was to finally feel her lips after almost a year but he wanted to make sure she was okay. He broke the kiss.

"Livie are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she murmured softly.

She had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she straddled him. The kiss was passionate and intense as their tongues danced together slowly.

She could feel his erection stiffen as she braced herself on top of him.

She pulled his jacket off his shoulders and when he got it down his arms, she threw it on the floor then she undid his shirt and threw that on the floor as well. She took her time to run her hands over his rigid torso and when she was convinced she'd felt every part of him she pulled her t-shirt over her head revealing her pink lace cheekies. Fitz began kissing and sucking on her neck which caused her to moan softly, she was sure he was leaving love bites but she didn't care. He inched his way down making small love bites on and around her breast. He kicked his shoes off as she undid his pants and pulled them down his legs and then his kicked those off too. Once she could see that he was completely naked, she stood so he could pull her panties down her legs and when she was completely naked, he pulled her on top of him. He slid his member up and down her slit over and over to tantalize her. He heard her breath quiver as she held on to his neck to balance herself.

He slowly eased her down on him, he was greeted by warm liquid gathered in her core and immediately he could feel it seep down on him. The sensation made him throw his head back in ecstasy. Olivia had her forehead pressed against his as she worked her hip back and forth on him. Fitz stopped her and flipped her over so she was on all fours.

He only ever allowed Olivia to ride him once and when she did he found that he was completely at her mercy and couldn't control when he came, so he never allowed her to do it again. He liked to be in charge, he controlled when he came, how he came and how many times. That was how it always was but with Olivia it was tricky. If he allowed himself to get too consumed by her during sex he couldn't control himself and he would come as many times as she would let him.

He entered her slowly, Olivia arched her back perfectly for him and he held on to her hips and thrust into her deep and slow and welcomed the sound of Olivia's ear piercing screams. It was clear that she didn't care who heard them or maybe she just couldn't help herself. He pulled her close, so he could kiss her and enveloped his arms around her tightly.

She began to feel waves rippling through her body. She tried to fight it off as long as possible until she couldn't hold it off anymore and came hard. Fitz held her tightly as she whimpered in exhaustion, secretly congratulating himself for his good work.

She could feel him smiling.

"Oh get over yourself," she breathed out.

He showered her with kisses all over her shoulders and neck which caused her to giggle.

She got off the couch and stood up and then took his hand and pulled him up.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To the bedroom."

She looked down.

"Wow you are still really hard," she mused.

"Well, you're still really naked."

She giggled.

"Come."

She pulled him behind her to her bedroom. Once they were in the room, Fitz grabbed her up and threw her on the bed. She screamed excitedly as he pulled her towards him and spread her legs open. He kissed down the inside of her thigh, giving her a few hickeys as he made his way down to her core. Olivia curled her toes and stiffened in anticipation and when she finally felt his tongue inside her she sucked in a deep breath.

Fitz nipped and sucked fiercely as Olivia tried to squirm her way out from under him. She felt overwhelmed, he kept sucking directly on her clit.

"Oh god Fitz wait-"

And before she could finish her sentence her orgasm took her completely by surprise. It left her quivering as Fitz hovered on top of her and kissed her as she tried to catch her breath. She grabbed his cheeks and joined in on the kiss. She wrapped her legs tightly around him as she felt him enter her. He thrusted his hips back and forth, he could hear her moaning softly in between kisses. She held on to his waist and guided him deeper and deeper into her. She could feel her orgasm coming but she wanted to make sure Fitz came too.

"Baby I need you to cum with me," she moaned.

She pulled his lips down on hers and held them there. She could feel his muscles tensing and she knew he was close.

"Oh god I love you," he moaned breathlessly.

She felt her insides tighten up as her orgasm rippled through her body and Fitz threw his head back as his orgasm took him fiercely as well. When he pulled out, his cum seeped down her legs and onto the sheets and then Fitz dropped beside her, they both panted loudly.

"I love you too," she said as she turned to face him.

Fitz puckered his lips and she leaned in and kissed him and then they both laid staring at the ceiling.

"My back is really tight," he complained.

"I can fix that."

She sat up.

"Turn over."

He turned and laid on his stomach and Olivia stood on his back.

"Woah, that feels good, put some pressure on it, you lightweight."

She chuckled and rub circles into his back with her heel.

"How does that feel?"

"Great, your feet are really soft, unlike Mellie's centaur boots she calls feet."

"Oh shit," she cursed as she fell onto the bed and laughed.

"Fitz you are so terrible, these Mellie jokes kill me."

He shook his head.

"Come on, let's take a bath."

He got up and pulled her up. She walked lazily behind him as they went into the bathroom together. She plugged up the shower and turned on the faucet to fill up the tub, she added bubble bath soap and waited for the tub to fill up.

She walked over to the mirror, Fitz leaned against the wall waiting for her to overreact about the trail of hickeys he left on her neck and shoulders but she didn't, she pulled her hair up in a ponytail and stared into the mirror.

"Ew my lips are swollen, thank you for that," she said sarcastically.

He walked up behind her and wrapped her hands around her.

"Your lips are perfect quit complaining."

She rolled her eyes.

"The bath is ready."

She turned the faucet off and got in and waited for Fitz to join her.

She laid on top of him with her head on his chest, surrounded by bath bubbles. He wrapped his hands around her as silence surrounded them.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked curiously.

She looked up at him.

"Nothing, I'm just listening to your heartbeat, it's really slow you should get that checked out."

Fitz chuckled.

"The doctor said I have a healthy heart rate and it being a little slower is a good sign, it means I'm fit."

"Okay show off. What are you thinking about?"

"I'm starving."

She laughed.

"Alright let's wash off and see what's in the kitchen."

They washed off quickly. When they were finished she tied a towel around her body and she tied one around Fitz's waist as well, they walked into the kitchen to search for food.

"I think Abby stocked the fridge up the other day… let's see what she bought."

"How's Abby been?"

"Good she works with me now."

"Don't you mean for you," he chuckled.

She opened the fridge.

"Can you cook?" she asked.

"Yea."

"Okay because I can't and all the things she bought require being cooked."

"Okay, what do you want?"

"Breakfast. There is pancake batter in here and eggs and bacon. Can you make pancakes?"

"Yes, I can. Where are the pots?"

She pointed to the cupboard.

"How did you learn how to cook?"

"Titi taught me."

"I knew that," she chuckled.

She watched as Fitz prepared the food. She helped him mix the pancake batter but that was all she could really do. When Fitz finished the food, he brought it over to her at the table.

"Pancakes, bacon, eggs; easy over and orange juice. Congratulations, breakfast," he teased.

"This looks so good."

She got up and grabbed a can of whipped cream from the fridge and sprayed it all over her pancakes.

"Open your mouth."

When he opened it, she sprayed whipped cream in his mouth and on his nose.

'Very funny," he laughed.

When they finished eating, she brought him back to the living room. They lost track of time but when they saw the light from the sunrise peek through the window, they knew time was up.

Olivia was reluctant to say it but she knew she had to.

"Fitz you have to go, it's light out."

He pressed his forehead against hers.

"One more minute."

She nodded. They stood as the music filled the silence between them. Finally, she helped him get dressed, she could see he was in no rush. When he was fully dressed, she walked him to the door.

"I'll come by around 10 to talk with you and Cy."

He nodded.

"I love you."

"I love you too." she whispered.

She gave him one last kiss before she opened the door and let him out.

Fitz walked into his bedroom only to see Mellie sitting on the couch, with her arms folded and legs crossed.

He ignored her and continued to eat his apple, he wasn't going to let her ruin his good mood.

"How's Olivia doing?"

Fitz was confused at first but then he understood exactly what she meant.

"I take it you've been out with your whore all night."

"That would mean I was out with you last night and I wasn't."

Mellie gasped.

"Look Mellie I'm in a great mood. I didn't get an ounce of sleep last night but oddly I feel more energized than ever.."

"I don't need details, Fitz."

"You couldn't handle the details."

He paused.

"When did you find out about Olivia?"

"I knew from the start Fitz."

"Oh okay."

Mellie raised her eyebrows.

"Is that all you have to say?" she asked angrily.

"Yep."

Fitz walked off to his closet to get dressed.

Olivia got to the white house around 10:30 that morning. As she made her way down the halls to the oval office, out of nowhere, Mellie stopped her and pulled her into one of the empty office rooms.

"Woah."

"Olivia. Just the person I need to see," Mellie said flatly.

"Oh god, what do you want Mellie?"

"Thank you for keeping my husband out all night."

"Don't know what you're talking about," Olivia apathetically.

"Whatever, what have you come up with to fix this whole tape thing because I'm sure they're going to release it any minute now."

"They haven't released it yet because it isn't conclusive enough, there is no way to prove it was that girl, it could be anyone, it could be you."

Then Olivia got an idea.

"That's genius, if they release it, we'll just say it was me," Mellie interrupted.

"You would be okay with a sex tape of you out there?" Olivia asked a little astonished.

"Well people don't think we screw anyways, this will convince them, then people won't have any reason to doubt we have a perfect marriage that is full of sex." Mellie had hoped her comment would have gotten on Olivia's nerves but it didn't.

"They've seen you too together, they won't believe you are actually having sex unless you are pregnant otherwise they'll just think you're taking the fall for the tape to save his ass."

"Brilliant! If I get pregnant that would fix everything. God knows I couldn't stand to have another child but the political capital would be huge."

"Wait- I didn't actually mean get pregnant," Olivia interjected.

"Why not, it's brilliant, Fitz is the youngest president since JFK, if JFK could have perfect little children running around the white house, so can we, it would be gold."

"He's not going to agree to that."

"He sure will, especially if it's your idea by the way he knows that I know about you two, he was a little too chipper this morning I couldn't hold it in anymore."

They heard Fitz's voice in the hallway and then suddenly he appeared in the room.

He looked confused by the fact that they were both together.

"Tom told me you guys were in here. What's going on?" he asked.

"Olivia had the most brilliant idea to deal with this whole tape thing."

Fitz looked over to Olivia.

"well …" she began.

"If the tape is as inconclusive as you said, obviously I'd have to listen to it to be sure but when it comes out, Mellie could come forward and say it's her on the tape," she said hesitantly.

"No one's going to believe it's her even if she says so, they just think she's trying to save my ass."

"Yes but not if I'm pregnant," Mellie added.

Fitz didn't say anything.

"Come on sweetie think of all the political capital we could get from this. No one would ever doubt our marriage if we're expecting, I'd get moms and parent groups on my side. We could get rid of this tape thing. I call this a win," Mellie said ecstatically.

"So let me get this straight."

Right away just from his tone, Olivia could tell he was mad.

"You want me to get you pregnant to not only dispel rumors of a tape that hasn't come out yet but to gain you favor since everyone hates your guts after what you pulled on the campaign trail."

Mellie rolled her eyes.

"Yes but don't sound so glum. This works out for everyone, more so you than me because I would actually have to be pregnant and god knows how much fun that will be for me," she said sarcastically.

"Oh well, I think it sounds great."

"Great." Mellie rejoiced.

"Except for one little detail that might put a kink in this brilliant plan that you too have come up with?"

"What?" Mellie asked.

"I'm not doing it."

"What?" she asked again.

"I'm not fucking doing it. Did you hear that Mellie?"

He walked over to Mellie and stood inches from her.

"I would actually rather die than get you pregnant."

Then he turned around and face Olivia, she was a little nervous, she'd never heard him tell Mellie off like that and she worried he would be angry enough to do the same to her.

"The girl killed herself last night. Officers searched her apartment and found the tape, both the original and the copies she made. Cyrus managed to get them to turn over the tapes, he's destroying them now."

Fitz made a beeline to the door. Olivia could see that he was furious.

"Fitz-" she called.

He stopped and faced her.

"No. I don't even know why I get disappointed anymore. You always do this."


	9. Chapter 9

On her way home that evening Olivia stopped by the pharmacy to find the morning after pill but they were all out. She'd stopped taking birth control during the year she'd broken up with Fitz and last night was no different. She tried stopping by the pharmacy in the morning to get the plan b pill but it was too packed and she had to get to O.P.A. early so against her better judgement she decided to wait till the evening. She was just in time to catch the pharmacy before it closed. She walked the aisle looking for the pill but when she realized that she definitely wouldn't be able to find it, she asked one of the pharmacist.

"I'm sorry Ma'am we're all out, we sold the last one about an hour ago, we should get more stock midday tomorrow when the truck comes in."

"Uh… thanks."

She walked out the store and began searching her phone for a nearby pharmacy to see if they had it. Unfortunately, they were 3 miles away and closed in 5 minutes.

"Shit!" she cursed.

She decided to just get it first thing in the morning, it was effective up to three days after and she knew she just had to take her chances.

She went home and headed straight for the shower. She made sure the water was as hot as she could take it. The day was a disaster. Fitz was annoyed at her for her dumb plan, a girl committed suicide so she couldn't really rejoice averting the tape disaster. She couldn't believe that less than 24 hours ago, Fitz was lying in the tub with her, she replayed the night over and over in her head, every time he kissed her or touched her or made her scream. She could feel the goosebumps rise all over her body. She closed her eyes and touched herself to thoughts of him and when she came, she was so tired from her lack of sleep the night earlier, she fell asleep in the tub.

She woke up in the middle of the night and realized she was still in the tub and got out and quickly went to bed. The next morning she woke up a little later than usual and ran to the bathroom for a quick shower, the heater was on full blast and she needed to cool off. Once she finished showering and curling her hair, she ran to her closet to get dressed. It was a cold January day and she needed to dress warmly. She picked out black skinny pants from Theory with the matching long v-neck blazer and a white Armani silk cami underneath. She paired it with black suede pointed ankle boots and a cream Max Mara waterfall coat. She threw her Saint Laurent bag over her shoulder and headed to the pharmacy. She had to go to the pharmacy that was further from her house, since the one down the street from her wouldn't have the pill until afternoon. She jumped in a cab, the traffic was terrible it took her over an hour to get there and back but once she got back to her apartment, she dropped her bag and coat and headed to the bathroom.

She stood in the bathroom for about 20 minutes, staring at the box on her bathroom vanity. She wasn't exactly sure why she was so nervous to actually take the pill. She gave herself an awkward pep talk into taking the pill and as soon as she was about to open the box, her phone rang. She looked at the caller id and realized it was Abby.

"Abby, I'm a little busy right now."

"Liv where the hell are you, the office is filled with military guys, get down here now, they are demanding to talk to you," Abby yelled through the phone.

"What? What kind of military guys?"

"They won't talk to us, all they have said since they got here is that they need to speak with you."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming right now."

She hung up.

"Shit!" she cursed as she ran to the living room and grabbed her coat and bag and headed out.

She didn't get home until after 9 in the night, the entire day was so crazy she barely got to have lunch. On her way home she realized she was being completely and ridiculously stupid for hesitating to take the pill and the minute she walked through the door she ran to the bathroom and took the pill immediately. She was starving so she went to the kitchen to try to cook the same meal Fitz made for her a couple of nights earlier but failed miserably, she burned the pancakes and over cooked the eggs, the only thing that she could really eat was the bacon. She showered and made herself wine and popcorn and sat on the couch to watch tv. She was halfway into dozing off when she heard a knock on her door and immediately she jumped up in excitement and practically ran over to the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Fitz.

She opened the door slightly and poke her head out.

"Can I help you sir?" she asked coyly.

"Let me in."

She opened the door and let him in, she walked over to the couch and he followed.

Fitz decided to cut the small talk and get straight to the point.

"So… are you going to tell me exactly what you were thinking when you came up with that terrible plan?"

"First of all, it's not like I sat and concocted that plan. Mellie pulled me in the office and we were just brainstorming I guess and she just picked out what she liked and called it my brilliant plan, I never actually thought that getting her pregnant would be a good idea."

He fell over and laid his head in her lap.

"Good."

She ran her fingers through his hair.

"But I think you were a little harsh on Mellie and by a little I mean you were brutal."

Fitz sighed.

"I told her the truth and honestly I think you are more affected by what I said to her than she is."

"What if she is just puts up a front, maybe she really does feel bad."

"Has it ever occurred to you that she's not that deep."

Olivia chuckled.

"Just be nicer, okay."

"Wait, why does it smell like burnt food," he asked.

"I might have tried to cook, it burned all of it."

Fitz laughed uncontrollably.

"Oh shit Liv, I gotta go take a leak, that was hilarious."

She punched him lightly in the stomach before he got up.

"It really wasn't that funny," she scolded.

He got up and jogged lightly to the bathroom.

"Hey, you better not leave the seat up or I will gut you," she yelled loudly so he could hear.

He was in the bathroom when he heard her.

"Now I'm going to leave it up on purpose," he called back.

He washed his hands and dried them with a paper towel and then opened the bin to discard of the trash and saw the plan b box staring at him. He took it out of the trash and walked back to the living room.

"What is this?" he asked as he held it up so she could see.

She jumped up.

"How did you find that? Did you go through my trash?"

"I did not go through your trash."

She folded her arms and huffed.

"Start talking Olivia," he ordered.

"I don't have anything to say."

"Olivia please."

She softened her stance.

"I wasn't on birth control so I took the morning after pill."

"Why weren't you on birth control?"

"I stopped taking it a little after I resigned because I wasn't having sex with anyone. Obviously I didn't expect to have sex with you the other night or else I would have had a condom handy."

Fitz rolled his eye at her condom remark.

"Okay but why didn't you tell me that?"

"I don't know Fitz, after I heard 'I'm sorry' I'm pretty sure I went blind. I didn't really have time to think about contraceptives even though that would've been a good idea."

Fitz chuckled.

"Damn it, I would have loved to get you pregnant, I could sue you for child support and ruin all your future relationships. I'd be the baby daddy from hell."

She laughed.

"Alright baby daddy."

"Okay so you have to call me that from now on alright."

"I'm not calling you that."

"Fine," he uttered resembling a spoiled child. He threw the box out and rejoined her on the couch. They bantered back and forth until Olivia drifted to sleep. Fitz picked her up, brought her to her bedroom, tucked her in and kissed her forehead and then he left.

When he got back to the white house, he checked in on Karen before he headed to his room to shower. He couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened if Olivia actually got pregnant. He never shared with her, his desire of wanting children with her, he didn't want to scare her off and he also married, trying to get her pregnant while he was married was moronic. He wanted another child, he wanted more than a child, he wanted children, just not with Mellie. If Olivia was ever going to take him seriously he knew he had to get his divorce in order, he been trying for months but every time he brought it up, Mellie shut it down. He was going to have to try a different approach if he wanted to get results. He'd been going through his pre-nup to see if there were any loopholes he could use to his advantage. The terms were less than favorable towards Mellie and she knew that, which is why she was adamant about not getting a divorce. He made a mental note to call his lawyer and Sanders Black in the morning, if he was really going to get out of is marriage, he was going to have to get creative because Mellie was nothing if not a fighter. In fact, that was probably the only thing about her he admired.

The next morning, he called his lawyer as soon as he got to the oval and began working with him to draft up the paperwork and once he was done with that, he scheduled a private meeting with Sanders Black and got to work.

It took him 4 weeks to gather everything he needed to properly confront Mellie. He'd gone through every detail of the files of dirt he had on her, he'd gone through the prenup and divorce papers in incredible detail. The only way he was going to get her to agree to this was if he had her backed in a corner. That night, he waited for her on the couch in the bedroom, with the divorce paper and a pen in one hand and the dirt Sanders Black found on her in the other hand. She walked in with her usual faux cheerful disposition, she proceeded to tell him about her day knowing he didn't care one bit but that had become their routine. Fitz stopped her in the middle of her speech.

"Mellie I have the divorce papers right here, I'm really gonna need you to sign them."

He could tell she was caught off guard, he'd brought up the divorce many time but never actually got the paperwork together.

"I'm not sure what's going on but I'm not signing anything."

"Mellie I don't want to fight, let's do this amicably. I don't want to be married to you anymore, I'm sure you can't stand me either and you know what, I don't blame you so let's just end it."

Mellie folded her arms.

"I'm not signing anything."

"Yes you are."

"You want to get rid of me so you can be with Olivia. What kind of man leaves his wife for his mistress," she bellowed.

"She is not my mistress, she is the smartest, most beautiful, loving, caring, sassy and funniest woman to ever walk this earth. You wouldn't know anything about those qualities, would you?"

At this point Fitz was just saying things to annoy Mellie.

"You will not leave me for Olivia," Mellie said through clenched teeth.

"I want more children, I want an actual loving marriage not one where I'm cheating on my wife and she's okay with it. You deserve better and I want to be with someone I love and that person is Olivia. Just sign these Mellie. I'm tired of the back and forth."

Mellie was becoming fraught.

"Please the only reason you interested in Olivia is because she's young and hot and will fuck you whenever you want. Although I'm wondering just what kind of jewels Olivia's got in between her legs that has you so whipped."

"Diamonds," Fitz interjected.

Mellie shrieked.

"Oh my god! Can you just take me seriously for one second," she half begged.

Fitz stood up and walked over to her.

"I think I've been more than generous with the settlement, it's a good deal Mellie. Take it because I'm serious about this," he spoke a little softer in hopes of getting her to finally agree with him.

"So you're really serious about it this time huh?" she asked.

"I am."

"And you really love her?"

"I do."

Mellie smiled.

"Then it gives me no greater pleasure than to tell you this."

"Tell me what?" he asked confused.

"In the ending weeks of the campaign, when it seems like the race was going to be too close for our comfort, we went ahead and took preventive measures that I don't think you will approve of."

Fitz sighed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Hollis, Verna, Cyrus, Gerry and myself got together and rigged the election in your favor."

Mellie paused and pretended to try to remember something. The look on Fitz's face cause a wide grin to spread across her face because she knew it was about to get worse for him.

"Wait… did I forget to mention that Olivia was in on it too."

"That's not true."

"It absolutely is true. Why don't you go ask her and see how tongue-tied she gets," Mellie said glibly.

"She wouldn't do that," Fitz said barely above a whisper.

FItz hadn't visited Olivia in the last few weeks and she was happy because she wasn't exactly sure what to do when she saw him. She was pregnant and she wasn't sure how to pass the information on to him. She had a feeling of doubt for weeks after she took the morning after pill but she wasn't sure that she was pregnant until she waited for her period for almost two weeks and it never came. It was the longest two weeks of her life. She took the pregnancy test a week ago, if she was being honest with herself, she'd known for weeks before, she just didn't want to admit it.

During that week of actually accepting the fact that she was pregnant, she tried going over her options. She knew that she couldn't actually keep the baby, he was still married and not only that, he was the president and she could imagine the huge love child scandal that would blow up in their faces if she actually carried the pregnancy to term. She could have an abortion but somehow it felt wrong to her, she was absolutely pro choice and probably would have aborted the baby already if it wasn't Fitz's baby and on top of that she knew that if she did it and he found out, he would be pissed. The third choice was adoption but she didn't give it a second thought because it made no sense to her. She knew she needed to go to the doctor just to figure out what was going on with her body. She was 6 weeks pregnant and some of the symptoms of pregnancy started to appear. The nausea, fatigue, swollen breast and worst of all the vomiting, which had only began in the last few days but seemed to be the bane of her existence.

She needed someone to talk to. Abby was her best friend but she had no clue about her and Fitz's relationship and she didn't want to tell her. She wasn't sure how Fitz would react and she wasn't at all prepared for a negative reaction from him, so she didn't want to tell him and Cyrus would just tell her to have an abortion, that she was sure off.

Another week had passed. She found it odd that Fitz still hadn't come to visit her. She told him every chance she got not to come and see her because it was too risky but he never really listened. It was now over a month since she last saw him, the last time he left they were on good terms, they hadn't slept together since that one night but they would talk or Fitz would cook her something and they would hang out for a while or until she fell asleep.

Abby come over that Sunday evening to cook her usual dinner. She knew if she left it up to Olivia, she would eat only junk food so she tried to come over and cook for her as often as she could. Olivia fell asleep while Abby cooked up a storm. When Abby finished, she plated the food and brought it over to Olivia on the couch. She was still fast asleep, Abby noticed that Olivia was a little more lethargic than usual but things at O.P.A. had been crazy so she just assumed that was the reason. She placed the food and wine on the coffee table in front of them.

"Wake up, lazy," Abby called out as she nudged her shoulder.

She shuffled in her sleep.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"Dinner's ready, get up hoe. I have old episodes of sex and the city ready to be watched."

Olivia sat up.

"This looks really good Abby."

"Thank you." Abby smiled.

Olivia picked up the plate and was about to start eating but then she brought it up to her nose and sniffed it. She gagged at the smell of the celery on her plate and ran to the bathroom to vomit. Abby followed her and found her kneeling by the toilet heaving.

"You're pregnant aren't you?"

"No I'm not."

Before Abby could reply, Olivia threw up again.

"Olivia I'm not an idiot, you're pregnant."

Olivia didn't respond, she just flushed the toilet and rinsed out her mouth.

"Just because you see me throw up once doesn't mean I'm pregnant."

Olivia walked back to the living room, Abby walked in front of her and took the plate of food to the kitchen before she could smell it again.

"Liv, I know you're pregnant for the last couple weeks you're tired all the time, you don't drink wine when we hang, which is usually the first thing you gulp down and you just barfed because you smelled celery, you used to like celery. You are pregnant."

"Okay fine, I'm pregnant," Olivia admitted.

Abby gasped and covered her mouth.

"Oh my god, really?"

"Yea."

"How far along are you?"

"7 weeks."

"I didn't know you were seeing anyone. Who's the father?"

"Not gonna tell you." Olivia chuckled humorlessly.

"Why not?" Abby asked.

"Because I'm just a little confused right now, I need to figure some things out first."

"So what's going on? Are you keeping it or not keeping it?"

"I have no idea."

"Did you tell the father?"

"No yet."

"Why not?"

"He's not exactly in a position to father a child with me at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing I just need to figure out what I'm going to do before I even think about telling anyone."

Abby sighed.

"Well if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you 100%."

"Thank you Abby."

Abby rolled her eyes.

"Oh my god Liv, just tell me how you feel are you excited or you sad. Spill it!"

Olivia smiled shyly.

"I don't know, I'm excited but also terrified and oddly, a little scared," she admitted.

"That's normal, when I got pregnant for Charles I was terrified, I had to abort that baby so fast. I couldn't imagine having a baby for that monster, I could barely protect myself, there was no way I was going to be able to protect the baby."

"Did you ever regret having an abortion?"

"Sometimes I get curious and wonder what the baby would've been like but I don't think I've ever regretted it. Charles would've been a terrible father."

"He would have., Olivia agreed.

"So are you going to be okay, I think I'm going to head out being that you totally didn't eat my food."

"Yea I'll be fine, I'm just gonna go back to sleep."

Abby shrugged.

"Aww Fuck it. I'm gonna hang here with you tonight babymomma," she said as she made herself comfortable on the couch.

It took Fitz about a week to get over his initial shock and heartbreak to be able to even think clearly. He'd barely spoken to Cyrus, completely ignored Mellie and Olivia. He certainly didn't want to react without getting every facet of the truth and he definitely wasn't going to take Mellie's word for it. He knew she wouldn't lie about something that big but he also knew she would twist it out of context if she felt that would hurt him more. He watched as Mellie skipped around the white house carelessly, thinking she was in the clear, no one was. Firstly, he had to deal with Verna. After Sanders did some digging he found out she had lung cancer and was trying to hide it. He hired a second private investigator to stalk her and snap photos of her during her chemotherapy and then released them anonymously to the press. Within a few days, half of the country was calling for her to step down so she could properly heal and when she came to the white house to formally tell him she was stepping down, he wished her and long and speedy recovery and then he had the guards escort her off the premises. Next on his list was Hollis. He wasn't a fan of contract killers but he also wasn't a fan of being made a fool of so he had Tom hire some of his ex-marine pals to abduct Hollis, bring him to the middle of nowhere and beat him until he couldn't move and then they left him there.

Cyrus was next. He knew that the only thing Cyrus cared about was power, you take away his power and he would undo himself. It took him a few days to be able to actually control himself enough to sit with Cyrus and behave in a civil manner. One night after a long day and a late night of meetings, he called him into his office for a chat.

Fitz sat at his desk in silence. His time in the navy had really changed him, it made him tougher physically and mentally but it also made him more violent and aggressive. He was laid back by nature, always calm and placid but when he joined black ops they changed that about him. They trained him to be hostile and warlike. He was a specialized fighter pilot, best they ever had. That was the reason, they scouted him in the first place but when they saw his talent, they decided to train him in other areas as well. They trained him to master hand to hand combat and weaponry skills as well as sharpshooting to aid with his precision when attacking a target from an aircraft. He learn military tactic because one general in particular, General Hide; the head of the black ops subdivision treated him as a son, he allowed him to sit in security meetings and often times allowed him to give his opinion or suggest a solution to a crisis or plight. He trained Fitz harder than the other Black ops members and over time help him rise in rank in the few years he was in the military. He left the military shortly after General Hide passed and had been working on his temperament ever since, finding ways to calm himself when he knew that there was a possibility of him flying off the handle because once he was lost it, he saw red."

Cyrus knocked the door and walked in without waiting for a reply.

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Have a seat. We need to talk," Fitz said without looking up.

He signed a couple of documents and then made his way over to the couch opposite to Cyrus.

"I know that you along with Mellie, Verna, Hollis, Gerry and Olivia got together and rigged the election. Start from the beginning and tell me what happened."

Cyrus got a little tongue-tied.

"Sir - I - I …"

"Calm down and speak coherently," Fitz commanded calmly.

Fitz got up and poured himself a glass of scotch and then went to sit down.

"Who's idea was it?"

"Gerry and Hollis came up with the idea."

"How did you actually pull that off? I'm curious."

Cyrus was a little confused by Fitz's demeanor, he expected him to be angry but he was oddly calm.

"Hollis paid a tech guy to manipulate the voting machine software in Ohio."

Fitz raised his eyebrow in skepticism.

"And how exactly did you manage to pull that off?"

"They switched out the chips in the voting machines and programmed it so that no matter what people voted, the outcome would be in your favor."

Fitz stood up.

"I expect your resignation letter on my desk tomorrow."

"What?" Cyrus asked in a panic.

"Wait? You didn't think I was going to keep you here, did you?"

"Fitz I know you're angry but let me explain -"

"I expect your resignation later on my desk tomorrow or I will fire you."

"I did this for you Fitz."

"Didn't do it for me Cyrus, you did it for yourself. You wanted power so much that you were willing to do anything to get it so now, I'm going to take it from you to show you who has the real power."

Fitz walked over to his desk and grabbed his jacket.

"Cyrus get out of my office, we're done here."

Fitz held the door open for Cyrus and waited for him to exit from the room. He walked out behind and found Tom in the hallway.

"Tom. Can you bring the car around?"

"Yes sir," Tom said with a nod.

Fitz was at Olivia's door within a half hour. All the anxiety he had for the past few weeks since he found out about the election rigging had come full swing. He stood in front of her door for about 10 minutes, trying to calm himself before he actually knocked her door.

Olivia was asleep on the couch when she heard the door knock. She looked over at her phone and saw several missed calls from Cyrus. It was almost 1am. She heard a knock on the door again and she finally got up to answer it. She was half surprised it was Fitz on one hand, he was the only person that ever came to visit her so late in the night but on the other hand he hadn't visited her in weeks. She was a little nervous to see him, she didn't want to tell him about the pregnancy until she decided what she would do about it. Although she wasn't showing, she grabbed the blanket from the couch and wrapped it around her body quickly and then opened the door for him.

He walked in without a greeting.

"Give me one sec, Cyrus called me a bunch of times earlier and I just want to call him back to make sure he's okay."

"He's was calling you to give you a heads up."

Olivia chuckled.

"About what?"

"I fired him."

"What?"

"Yea, I fired him. I leaked to the press that Verna had cancer so she would get kicked off the Supreme Court. I hired some guys to kidnap Hollis and give him a good and proper beating and leave him in the middle of nowhere, he just found his way back home a couple of days ago from the hospital. Gerry's dead so not much I can do to him…"

Olivia stepped back a few paces.

"Fitz, what's going on?" she asked a little shaken.

He didn't answer, he just stood as she put the pieces together in her head.

"Fitz please let me explain," she begged.

"It's funny that you think that there is anything you could say that would possibly make me be able to stand the sight of you," he said harshly.

"I didn't want to do it but when they told me it was already done. There was nothing I could do," she said frantically.

"There was nothing you could do... When did you find out?" he asked angrily.

"A week before," she murmured softly.

"A week before what?'

"The election."

Fitz chuckled humorlessly.

"You never told me. All you had to do was tell me and I would have stopped it. But instead you teamed with Gerry and Mellie. Gerry, Olivia - you knew how I felt about him and you still did it. "

"I'm sorry, I should have told you," she cried softly.

"You're sorry? Do you know what it feels like run a country that didn't elect me."

"They did elect you, they only took 5,000 votes in Ohio and you didn't need it because you would have won it regardless."

"Do you seriously think I would believe anything that comes out of your mouth anymore?"

"I'm not lying to you, I swear."

"It doesn't matter what you do anymore because we're done. Everything in my life has been fucked ever since I fell for you and lost myself. I really trusted you but you're just like everyone else."

"Don't say that," she cried.

"Olivia you were apart of the conspiracy and execution of the rigging of a national election."

"I wasn't apart of any conspiracy, I didn't plan anything."

"You knew and you didn't tell me!" He yelled angrily.

Olivia stepped back to put some space between them but Fitz saw that and stepped closer to her and leaned in so his face was inches away from her.

"Stay away from me and I mean that."

"You don't mean that. I know you don't, you love me and you'll forgive me."

He turned the knob on the door to open it. Olivia walked over to him and held onto his hand.

"I only did it because I love you. I know you're angry and hurt but please don't leave, let's just talk about this. I'll tell you everything, just please don't leave."

She barely whispered enough for him to hear, but he did. She saw him hesitate momentarily before he shook his head as if he convinced himself not to stay and then opened the door and walked out.

Mellie was the last person on his list. He waited until morning to confront her. He barely slept in the night and woke up early in the morning to shower and get dressed for work. He had his coffee and waited for her to wake up and when she did, he began.

"Mellie, I have the divorce papers here for you."

She yawned.

"Not this again. I thought we were back to normal."

Fitz bellowed out in laughter, which annoyed her to no end.

"I don't see how that's funny."

It took him a few more seconds to control the laughing.

"I think it's funny that you still thought we were going to be together after this. If I can leave the woman I love more than life itself then what did you think I was going to do with you?"

"Out of everyone, I was the only one who told you."

He chuckled.

"You didn't tell me because you cared about being honest, you told me to hurt me and then you walked around the halls thoroughly enjoying how much pain I was in for weeks. The only reason I waited to bring this up again was because I amended the terms of our divorce agreement."

"I'm not signing those, now that you're not with Olivia what does it even matter if we're together, we can pretend the way we've always done for years and no one would be the wiser."

Fitz ignored her and handed her the papers.

She reluctantly took them and began reading, Fitz sat back and waited for her explosion because he was sure it was coming.

"10 million is all I get. No fucking way! NO WAY!"

"Well I've rounded up all your extra marital affairs over the years and if I'm not mistaken, which I'm not, our pre-nup states that if there is evidence of cheating on your end, you get nothing. A detail Gerry was all too eager to add in there."

"We've both cheated, I will tell the entire world about that whore you've been banging."

"You signed a Nondisclosure Mellie, legally you can't utter a word of anything that's happened in our marriage, I didn't sign anything so I can say whatever the fuck I want. You could try and go out there and tell the world that I cheated, you could, but then I'd let them know that you cheated too and we'd leave it up to double standards to see who the country forgives and who it doesn't."

"You have billions, there is no way a judge is going let you keep that all to yourself," she screamed.

"Actually the pre-nup states that you have no claim to my inheritance, only up to 40% my personal non inherited wealth, that is now 25 million."

"No it isn't. You made hundreds of millions working at Grant Corp-"

"Yea, well I gave a considerable amount of my personal wealth to a few hundred charities around the world in the last few weeks, I have roughly 25 million left and you get 10."

"I won't be able to live the rest of my life with only 10 million, Fitz. You've gotten me used to a certain lifestyle you can't just take that away. That's not fair."

"Well I was going to give you a 60 million a few weeks ago but then you opened your mouth and you had a little too much fun telling me about the rigging."

"Fine I'm sorry. I'm sorry Fitz, is that what you want to hear."

"I don't care for your apologies but I'll throw you a bone; if you sign right now I'll give you 40 million, I get full physical and legal custody of Karen and you get the house in Beverly Hills."

"I want 50% legal custody of Karen."

"Okay but I want you out of here tonight. Agreed?"

"Agreed."


	10. Chapter 10

When Olivia still hadn't returned his calls, Cyrus decided to pay her a visit at her office. When he realized she wasn't there, he went to her apartment. He banged on the door loudly.

"Olivia open the door. Why haven't you been returning my calls," he screamed.

He banged on her door louder when she didn't answer. She was laying in bed when she heard the faint knocking and got up. The closer she walked to the door, the louder the banging got. She looked through the peephole and saw Cyrus so she opened the door and let him in.

Cyrus saw the swollen face and the puffy eyes and knew Fitz must have paid her a visit after he left the oval last night.

"Aww you poor thing, come here."

Cyrus hugged her, as sad as she was, there was no way she was crying in front of Cyrus.

"How bad was it?" he asked.

It took her a while to answer.

"He doesn't want to have anything to do with me, he hates me."

"Oh god, this is my fault. I should have never gotten you involved," Cyrus confessed.

He patted her on the back and walked her over to the couch so they could sit.

"Yeah, it's kinda your fault but I'm pretty sure they would have pulled me in any way."

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to try and talk to him?" Cyrus asked.

"He made his feelings very clear last night, he wants me to stay away from him."

"He doesn't mean that Liv."

"Yes he does Cyrus, you didn't see him last night. He was hurt and angry and he meant it and I don't blame him."

"Just give him time, I've known him for a long time, he'll get past it as for me, I'm going back to the oval in a few minutes to go blow him and beg for my job back."

She chuckled humorlessly.

"Don't make me laugh."

"Let's see what's going on, on tv."

Cyrus grabbed the remote and turned the tv on.

Immediately the headline shocked them both.

"President Grant files for divorce from First Lady Mellie Grant."

"After 15 years of marriage, President Grant files for divorce from Mellie Grant.

"Breaking new: For the first time in history a sitting President divorces his first lady."

"Oh shit," Cyrus jumped up.

"I have to go. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit."

Cyrus practically sprinted out the door and left it open.

He ran through the halls of the white house thankful that Fitz hadn't rejected his security pass. He tore into the oval, not bothering to knock.

"Sir," he called.

"Cyrus, I haven't received your letter as yet."

"That's because I haven't written it."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here to beg for my job."

"Don't bother."

"No, I'm begging for this job because it is all I have, this job and James and right now James won't talk to me because he wants a child and I don't. So all I really have is this job. I'm short and old and gay, there is not a place in the world where I can run for office and win, the world doesn't work like that. This is the best that I can do, being your sidekick. I didn't rig the election for you, I did it for me, I just wanted to win at something for once in my tired old life. That's why I did it. That's the truth, Fitzgerald. I am asking you to give me my life back because, without this job, I have nothing."

Fitz was quiet for a while, he was really thinking about what Cyrus said, he was uncharacteristically vulnerable.

"Go home, Cyrus."

He could see the look of defeat and disappointment on Cyrus' face.

"Take a week off, give James his baby and then come back to work."

Cyrus let out a deep breath.

"Thank you, Fitz."

Cyrus turned to walk out but then remembered Olivia.

"I think you should hear Olivia out-" he began.

"Go home Cyrus, before I change my mind."

"You don't have to tell me twice," with that Cyrus bolted.

A week later.

She woke up to Fitz standing over her. Staring down at her.

"Fitz, how did you get in here."

"Get up," he commanded, his anger apparent in his tone.

"What?"

"Get up!"

She got up and stood in front of him.

"I thought you said you never wanted to see me again?"

"Shut up and take off your clothes."

"No."

"Take them off right now or I will walk out that door and I will never come back."

She pulled her t-shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. She pulled her bra straps down her shoulders and then proceeded to take them off but she was moving too slowly for Fitz so he spun her around and tore the clasp of her bra and it fell to the ground.

Then he shoved her over on the couch and spread her legs apart.

"Apologize to me."

"I'm sorry."

He pulled down his pants, freeing his eager erection.

"Again." he commanded.

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly

He ripped her thong off and threw them across the room.

"Again."

"I'm sorry " she whispered.

He shoved her head down on the couch forcing her to arch her back. He entered her forcefully from behind making her scream out in pain. He dug deeper and deeper into her until he was giving her his full length.

"I didn't tell you to stop."

He grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her head back.

"I'm sorry," she moaned.

"You've never been the shy type Olivia - scream so I can hear you."

"I'M SORRY!."

He rammed her hard as her screams and cries filled the room.

"Fitz it hurts-"

He pulled her up and turned her around so she was facing him.

"Good."

He spread her legs and she willingly opened them as far as they could go, so he could enter her again because, as much as it was hurting her, it felt euphoric.

Everything around became hazy, she could feel his hands around her neck and his lips on hers, roughly as he thrust hard and unforgiving.

"Olivia, wake up-" Abby screamed

Olivia didn't move, she continued to mumble something incoherently in her sleep.

"Olivia, wake up now," Abby screamed again this time shaking her shoulders in an effort pull her out of her sleep.

Olivia's eyes fluttered open, she was a little disoriented.

"Olivia, get up, we have things we need to do today."

She yawned and sat up.

"Were you having a nightmare or something, you kept mumbling 'I'm sorry' in your sleep."

"It wasn't a nightmare per se, it was a really weird dream and you woke me up from it and it's a Saturday and I'm tired and I'm also going back to sleep."

"You've been weird and distant all week, what's going on?"

"Nothing I'm fine."

"Are you keeping it?" Abby asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you having an abortion?"

"I don't know Abby."

"You are literally about to be 8 weeks pregnant and you still haven't figured that out. You've been acting like it's not happening. I don't know what's going on with you and the father, but you have decisions to make so I made an appointment for you to see a doctor. I'm going to make you breakfast, go and bathe and get dressed."

"Abby I appreciate your concern but-"

"-But remember when Charles beat me so bad you had to help me bathe for two weeks, you helped me wash my vagina and butt and everything in between," Abby said snarkily.

Olivia really didn't have a comeback.

"Go and bathe Liv," she said as if she was speaking to a petulant child.

Olivia huffed and got up and headed to the shower. Olivia showered quickly and put on Lululemon leggings and an oversized Ulla Johnson gray cable knit sweater. She threw her hair into a messy bun and headed to the kitchen to eat. She as escaped morning sickness so far and hoped the food wouldn't make her nauseous. It didn't, she ate everything Abby set on her plate and then asked for seconds but Abby wouldn't make anymore because she didn't want to be late.

They got to the office just before their appointment time but still had to wait an extra half hour until they were able to see someone.

A middle-aged blonde woman called them to her office. Olivia sat opposite from Abby trying to hide her nervousness. Abby knew Olivia like the back of her hand and Olivia knew Abby just as well, Abby knew Olivia was nervous but she also knew it made no sense trying to reach out to her, she would just lie and say she was fine. The doctor walked in the office about 2 minutes after she called them and closed the door and sat on her stool.

"Hello ladies, I'm Dr. Williams. What can I do for you, ladies?"

Abby didn't give Olivia a chance to speak, she just took charge.

"I'm Abby, this is Olivia, she's around 8 weeks pregnant, we just wanted to get some information and maybe do an ultrasound or something."

"Have you seen any other doctor before?'

"No," Abby answered.

"Okay, so no prenatal vitamins have been taken or anything?"

"Nope, nothing," Abby answered again.

"Dr. Williams, I took the morning after pill, how is it that I still ended up pregnant?" Olivia asked.

"The morning after pill only works by delaying ovulation so the sperm can't meet the egg. The fastest sperm can meet an egg within 45 mins, if you are ovulating when you have sex and that sperm so happens to make it's way to the egg and fertilize it before you take the pill then the pill won't work."

Olivia began to open up a little more with her answers to the questions the doctor asked and when it was time for the sonogram, the doctor left the room to get more supplies, leaving Olivia on the chair, nervously waiting for her to come back.

"You are so nervous right now, don't try to hide it," Abby teased.

"Abby stop," she laughed shyly.

The doctor came back and began preparing for the sonogram. She spread the gel over Olivia's stomach and began rubbing the transducer probe over her stomach to get images on the display.

Olivia watched the screen but could really make sense of what she was seeing.

The doctor chuckled.

"What?" Olivia asked nervously.

"Do you see these two dots here?"

The second Abby heard two she knew exactly what it meant, Olivia however, was still clueless.

"Yea, why?" Olivia asked.

"Twins."

"I'm sorry - what?" Olivia asked in total shock, hoping she misheard.

"Twins definitely monozygotic."

"monozygotic?"Abby asked.

"Identical," Dr. Williams replied.

"How do you know they are identical?" Olivia asked.

The doctor pointed to the screen.

"You see there? They share the same placenta."

"Do you know the gender?" Abby asked the doctor.

"No, it's too soon."

"Doctor Williams, can we wrap this up, I have to go," Olivia said randomly.

"Okay let me get you out of here."

Within a few minutes, they were ready to go before they left Dr. Williams stopped them.

"Here is a prescription for some prenatal vitamins."

"I won't be needing those," Olivia said rudely.

"In case you change your mind, you'd be surprised."

Doctor Williams stretched out her hand with the piece of paper in it but Olivia wouldn't take it, so Abby did.

"That was really rude Olivia."

"I don't care, I'm going to have the abortion."

"You still have time to think about it are you sure you want to do this now, I know that was big news back there, maybe you should take some time to process it."

"I just want to go to the clinic and get this over with."

"Alright," Abby relented.

They googled the location of the clinic and headed straight there.

Once they filled out all the paperwork, they sat quietly waiting to be called.

Abby tried to read some of the pamphlets while Olivia just stared in space.

Finally, the doctor came in and called Olivia.

Olivia got up and walked into the examination room behind the doctor.

The doctor began questioning her and checking her vitals and ultrasound to confirm how far along she was.

She decided it was best to take the pill. After a few more mandatory test the doctor handed her the first pill. She took a deep breath and put the pull in her mouth but then she immediately ran over to the bin and spat it out.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

Olivia didn't wait for the doctor's reply she just sprinted out of the office.

When she got back to the waiting room she saw Abby.

"Come on Abby, let's get out of here," she said not bothering to stop.

Abby jogged lightly to catch up with her outside.

"What happened? Did you do it?"

"I couldn't, they're my babies and I'm going to keep them."

"Yay," Abby squealed.

They stopped at Gettysburger to grab some food and then went back to the apartment.

Olivia ate and fell asleep on the couch and Abby ran to the store to buy a chart and markers and some other supplies and filled her prenatal prescription as well.

When she came back to the apartment she set up the chart and began jotting down ideas so that when Olivia woke up they could have a progressive discussion about the next steps to take. Olivia was asleep for a few hours giving Abby time to clearly illustrate her ideas. Abby got tired of waiting for her to get up so she decided to wake her again.

"Liv, we have some things we need to discuss," she said as she tugged her arm to wake her.

After a few seconds, she was up.

"Abby I was sleeping."

"No anymore, we have things to discuss."

"Is that a chart?" Olivia asked chuckling.

"Yes. First things first, what's going on with you and the baby daddy?"

Olivia sighed.

"Don't wanna talk about it."

"Is there anything that you don't know about me?"

Abby waited for a reply.

"Is there?" She asked again.

"Technically I wouldn't know that."

Abby gave her the side eye.

"No."

"Okay, so why won't you tell me?"

"I don't feel like being judged at this particular moment."

"I'm not judgy. At least not with you, but with other people, it's fun. Now spill."

"I guess you'll find out eventually so here goes; the father is Fitzgerald Grant."

Abby opened her mouth wide in astonishment.

"A republican?"

"That's what you care about?"

"Wow president Grant, I feel like I could have guessed this because he was always throwing you serious 'do me' vibes but I never actually thought you'd do it."

"I never thought I would either but we did."

"When did you guys start doing it?" Abby chuckled.

"On the campaign."

"Oh, my god. He was married, you little whore, give me details."

"There aren't any details to give, you're really only ever stupid for one guy and he was mine. He's the guy that I keep being stupid for over and over again."

"Did he give it to you good?" Abby chuckled mischievously.

"Not answering that."

"Okay fine but is he big?"

"Not answering that either."

"So he isn't big?"

"He's big Abby."

"How big? Is he white guy big or black guy big, because there's a difference?"

"Black."

Abby squealed.

"Long or fat."

"What's happening right now?"

Abby laughed.

"I just wanted to see how many questions you'd be willing to answer but back to business; why haven't you told him?"

"For one, we were in a secret relationship. He's the president and I'm his pregnant ex-mistress so I'm not at all excited about the scandal that would come out of that. Two, I did something and he found out about it and told me he wanted nothing to do with me ever again so I'm afraid that if I tell him this, he won't want anything to do with me or them and I'm not prepared to face that possibility right now so I'm not sure when I'm going to tell him."

"What if he wants to be in their life?"

"Then we have a scandal on our hands and I don't want my children in the center of that so I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"So you want to raise them without him?"

"That's the thing, I don't know, right now he's really mad at me so I feel like if I give him some time to calm down then he might hear me out but if not then I'm raising them on my own. I'm not sure how I'm going to raise twins on my own but other women have done it so I can do it too."

"Okay so that bring us to the chart, we are going to have two options, one for if he decides to be in their lives and one of he doesn't. Make me a promise that you will try to tell him in the next couple of months."

Olivia sighed.

"I can't promise that he blocked all contact with me, if I even try to get through the White House gates, I'm sure they will arrest me."

"Wow, what did you do to make him that mad?"

"Something very wrong, I'm my defense I did it for him but he doesn't see it that way, he sees it as a betrayal."

"Are you okay?"

"I think I am, I cried about it for a couple days and you know I hate crying but I did and I feel like he'll come around, I'm just going to give him some time."

Abby was grateful Olivia was being as honest as she was.

"Okay so if he doesn't want to be in their lives then I'll step up. You'd obviously have to get a bigger apartment, maybe even a house and I would move in with you, I could help you take care of them because it's going to be hard for the first few months when all they do is cry and poop. There is no way you're going to be able to stay up with both of them and properly function at O.P.A."

"Abby that's a lot of responsibility to put on yourself, I not going to allow you to do that."

Abby rolled her eyes.

"Liv you are my family okay, I wouldn't even do this for my actual sister, that's how close you are to me, when I needed you, you were there for me more than my actual family so now I'm here for you, plus I'm going to be their godmother, I'm sure that's like my actual duty or something."

"Okay," Olivia smiled.

"You will also need a nanny for when you get off maternity leave. You will need a car. You will need a cover story once people find out you're pregnant if he doesn't want to be in their lives, we could say you used a donor or something. You will need two of everything, which is going to be expensive if he doesn't want to be in their lives at least let him help financially."

"If he doesn't want anything to do with them then I don't want anything from him."

"Olivia he's a billionaire, that's an entirely different lifestyle for your kids."

"I can give my kids a good life all by myself."

"Alright, I hear you. By the way, I picked up your prenatal vitamins, you should probably start taking those in the morning."

Abby went on and on for almost 2 hours, delving deeper and deeper into her very detailed plan for Olivia.

It took Olivia some time to get over the emotional rollercoaster that took place the day Abby took her to the doctor. She accepted the fact that she was going to carry them and began mentally preparing herself for when the day came that she would have to tell Fitz. Only Abby knew, she didn't plan on telling anyone until she was definitely showing. She also didn't want to get too excited since she was still in the early stages of pregnancy and she knew anything could happen so she wanted to wait a couple months to really start making plans. Until then she just focused on making sure she took her vitamins every day, ate as healthy as possible and took on as many cases as possible to prepare herself financially for the twins.

Mellie was out of the White house by the time Cyrus came back from vacation. The press covered the divorce on a continuous loop. They clamored for an interview but Fitz was adamant about not giving them one and every time a journalist asked he deflected and told them in the nicest way possible, it wasn't any of their business. Karen was doing okay with the news although he was sure she understood just about as much as any other 8 year old would. Ever since Fitz settled into the white house, he let Karen finish school in California and then he brought her out to D.C. in June. he got her into the best school in town and she's been thriving ever since. She had a lot of friends and they would come to the white house almost every weekend and sleep over because Karen was alway throwing slumber parties in the theater room. She played tennis after school and soccer on the weekends. Fitz tried to go to her soccer practice every weekend which wasn't possible with the type of job he had so he settled for whenever he could make it. He would stand at the side of the soccer field in in his dad hat and sunglasses cheering Karen on as she kicked the asses of all the other kids. Her long legs carried her up and down the field quicker than the other kids. She was taller than the other girls and some of the boys that played on the boy's team, she got her height from Fitz and as for her athleticism, Fitz had her playing sports since she was 3. Whenever she finished practice, they would stop by JJ's diner and have whatever Karen wanted. It had become quite the routine because spectators began waiting outside the diner on Saturdays to see Fitz. The secret services hated it, they didn't like the idea of him being predictable in his whereabouts but Fitz insisted and he was their boss, so they accepted it.

In the weeks after Mellie left, after all the drama with the election rigging, Fitz found comfort in spending extra time with Karen. She was funny and sassy and managed to keep his mind off of everything else. When she came home from school, she would come straight to the Oval Office for Fitz to help her with homework even though she could do it all on her own most times. They grabbed dinner together whenever they could, if not Karen would eat with the nanny or one of the staffers, she had no shortage of people fawning over her.

In the year since he got into office, Fitz managed to pass a tax plan that was working. Jobs growth was rising exponentially every month, the GDP was up and the country finally began paying back debts to China. Gerry had been teaching Fitz how to handle money since he could count. The balancing the economy and dealing with money and numbers was easy for him. On the other hand, terror in the Middle East was at an all-time high, he was practically mortal enemies with Russia and North Korea was no better in their standing with the U.S. The republicans had been pressuring him to deploy troop in the Middle East for months but he wouldn't budge, he didn't like drone strikes either; there were too many civilian casualties. Instead, he used special force mission to take out targets, which had been successful so far but not enough to quiet the war profiteers. He knew the only reason they were pushing for a war was because of how profitable it could be, he'd seen how hard Gerry lobbied for wars in the past because Grant industries profited immensely from the spike in government contracts. While the tension in the east kept him in endless security meetings, things on the homefront were in good standing.

"Jesus christ Abby, will you shut up about the damn sex of the babies. You are making me queasy."

Abby rolled her eyes.

"Okay fine but what do you want?"

"I don't know."

"You totally do. Just say it."

"Fine I want boys okay, you happy."

"Ecstatic," Abby teased.

Olivia handed Abby a glass of wine and sat on the sofa with her cranberry juice in hand.

At over 3 and a half months, Olivia was finally getting over the vomiting, which she was happy about. She was still nauseous and had cramping here and there. What she wasn't excited about was how much her stomach was growing. There was no way she was going to be able to hide it for another week, she'd been wearing sweaters and huge blazers and even then, it was chancy. She was going to sit with Stephen, Huck, and Harrison and tell them about the pregnancy.

"Ew boys, I want you to have girls, they'll be cute," Abby laughed.

They sat watching t.v. for a while.

"Liv, when are you going to talk to him? You are about to be 4 months pregnant. What are you waiting for?"

"The only way I can reach him is through Cyrus and I'm not telling Cyrus that I'm pregnant with Fitz's babies, he'd lose his mind. He just needs a little more time and whenever he's ready he'll come see me."

"All right," Abby said skeptically.

Olivia picked up on the skepticism.

"What is it?"

"It's not like you to sit and wait for someone to decide when you are worth getting their attention that's all. You are being really passive and that's not normal for you, you breathe fire, Olivia. What's really going on?"

Olivia sighed.

"I love him Abby, so much. It's been two months and he still won't talk to me. I didn't think it would be so easy for him to stop speaking with me after the way things ended and I'm freaking out."

"It's just the hormones."

"It's not the hormones. He gave Cyrus back his job but he won't even talk to me? What did I do that was so much worse than Cyrus. He forgave Cyrus why can't he forgive me too.""

"What are you talking about?" Abby asked confused.

"Nothing, I'm blathering, you're right, It's just the hormones."

Olivia realized she said too much, she wanted to keep Abby out of that drama altogether.

"I'm gonna head home Abby, can I take some of the cookies with me?"

"I baked them for you, Olivia. Of course, you can take them. Let me order you a cab to take you home."

"Okay, I have to go pee, I'll be right back... By the way Abby, I'm still me, I'm still a dragon, I still breathe fire don't you ever forget that," she chuckled.

"Oh, so now you breathe fire - go pee," Abby teased.

Olivia laughed and went to the bathroom. Abby wrapped up the cookies for Olivia and called a cab to drop her home. Abby's apartment wasn't very far from Olivia's but there was no way Olivia was walking the distance. She had been really out of breath lately and hated walking anywhere. Abby usually was the one to go over to Olivia's apartment but this time Olivia just showed up at her door. When Olivia finished using the bathroom, she walked her downstairs to the cab.

"Call me when you get home alright."

Olivia nodded.

"I'm pregnant."

Harrison and Stephen both looked at each other and laughed.

"Uhm what's so funny?" she asked, slightly insulted.

"It's funny that you think we didn't know."

"Abby told you."

Olivia glared at Abby.

"Don't look at me I kept my mouth shut."

"Chill Liv were not idiots. You've been walking around looking like you just ate an entire turkey by yourself for the last two weeks and you stopped wearing heels, we know how much you love those," Harrison teased.

Olivia shrugged.

"So why didn't you tell me you knew."

"It was hilarious watching you pretend you weren't, we actually made a bet," Stephen chimed in.

She scoffed.

"Huck are you a part of this too?"

Huck tried to hide his smile.

"You guys are all losers."

She stormed off, she wasn't at all mad, she actually found it hilarious.

"Oh come on, don't be like that," Harrison yelled.

"Whatever, get your asses to that senator's office to get those files before I fire all three of you and replace you with someone hot that Abby can sexually harass," she yelled from her office.

"Here, here to that," Abby agreed.

She could still hear them laughing as Harrison and Stephen headed to the elevator.

"Bye Liv," she heard them yell from the elevator as it closed.


	11. Chapter 11

"I have been facing extreme pressure to go to war from those in this country who see war as a means of gaining a profit. I want to make one thing clear; I am the president and I alone can declare war. I will not be coerced into putting American lives in danger because a few companies want to sell more oil or guns. I will not send people's children to a hostile territory for a few extra bucks or a higher approval rating. I've seen war up close, it is gruesome. I know what it feels like to be in a foreign country surrounded by people who want nothing more that to kill you because of the flag on your uniform and for that reason I will not engage in any type of warfare until I believe it is absolutely necessary. We are fighting a group of people of different races and nationalities that have bonded under one common ideology, hatred of America, democracy and western values . While they might be concentrated in the middle east, they are everywhere. I will not order drone strikes because many of the places they gather have a considerable civilian population and I have absolutely no desire in causing harm to innocent people who just want to live their lives in peace, no matter what their religion or nationality. We will continue to fight with covert methods until they prove to be unsuccessful. Good night and god bless America."

Fitz didn't pause for questions, he headed straight out of the press room towards the oval office. He could hear Cyrus running behind him, panting as he came down the hallway. Fitz walked into the oval and made a beeline for his desk.

"Oh god Fitz please don't tell me you just started a war with the republican party?" Cyrus said in a panic.

"I didn't start anything, I finished it, now anyone who utters a word about me going to war will be seen as an unpatriotic warmonger," Fitz said calmly

"The republicans won't forget this," Cyrus warned.

"That was the point."

"But they can't actively come out and say anything against you because it would be seen as unpatriotic and warmongering but the liberals are going to love it, what you said about not harming people who want to live their lives in peace was gold. I can already smell the democratic votes coming in."

Cyrus mused for a moment and then went over to the couch and sat down.

"That was actually pretty fucking genius even though I'm sure I had 3 aneurysms during the speech."

"I'm glad you think so because I have a bill I want to pass."

Fitz reached into his drawer, pulled out a thick packet then walked over to Cyrus and handed it to him.

"It's my healthcare bill and I want you to help me get it through the senate."

Cyrus inspected the packet.

"Did you do this all by yourself?" he asked.

"Yea, I had a few advisors but mostly it was me."

"When did you start working on it?"

"A while ago. People need insurance and I want to help them get it. It's been proven and verified many times. Give it a read and let me know your thoughts."

Cyrus stood up and handed him back the packet.

"I don't need to read it, not right this second, I know it's brilliant and if we are going to get this passed we can't let the media buzz off of this war thing die down. Announce it tomorrow bright and early and we'll start rallying votes tomorrow."

Cyrus turned and headed to the door.

"Where are you going, Cy."

"I'm going to get some rest. You should too, considering how much ass we are going to have to kiss tomorrow and let me tell you, kissing ass is no light work," Cyrus laughed.

"How's the search for a baby going?"

"We found a young girl in Louisiana who is almost a month old, James is basically drooling over here but it'll take a little more time until we can actually get her, with all the paperwork and stuff it'll be a month or so."

Fitz sighed.

"Okay, well I look forward to meeting her."

"Thank you, Fitz."

Olivia and her team sat in the conference room waiting for their newest client, CEO Victor Paxton. He was being blackmailed and needed help brokering a deal with the blackmailers. Olivia was sitting down when Stephen walked Victor into the conference room.

"Hello, the famous Olivia Pope, it's nice to finally meet you."

Olivia stood to shake his hand and she immediately saw his eyes look down towards her belly.

"Oh my, I did not know you were expecting."

"That's because I didn't tell you. Please, Victor, have a seat."

Olivia sat back in her seat and waited for him to sit down.

"I hope you appreciate how sensitive this situation is for me, they stole something from me that I would face criminal charges for, if it were to become public."

"We understand, Victor, please sit down and tell us, we can only help if you tell us and time is of the essence," Olivia declared.

He sat down.

"They stole a sex tape of me."

"Okay," Olivia said flatly waiting for him to go one because she knew there was more.

"With an underage girl."

Abby was the first to react, she scowled quietly from across the conference room.

"How old is she?" Olivia asked.

"15. I'm sorry she told me she was 18," he replied.

"What state was the tape made in?"

"New york?"

"The legal age in New york is 17 so you would definitely face criminal charges. Give us all the proof of contact they have made with you and we can broker the deal."

"Okay but I think that since you're pregnant maybe one of these guys should spearhead this thing, I wouldn't want to cause you any stress, I know women are fragile during pregnancy and with all the hormones and stuff-"

Olivia smiled.

"Harrison, would you like to spearhead the deal for the statutory rapist who loves to videotape?" Olivia asked loudly.

"Nope," Harrison answered.

"Stephen? What about you?"

"I can't make a deal quite as good as you Olivia, so I think I'll pass.

Olivia turned her attention back to Victor.

"Unfortunately you're out of luck Victor, looks like Olivia Pope and Associates won't be taking your case after all. Have fun asking the cops for help, they'll be so excited to see your tape. You can show yourself out, I'm sure."

Olivia got up and so did the rest of the team.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. It came out wrong. You are the only ones who can help me?"

"Your fee just doubled."

Victor nodded.

"Okay."

"Tripled, since you have no problem paying double," Oliva said flatly.

"What?" he asked outraged.

"Going once… going twice-"

"Okay, triple the fee."

"Deal. Nice doing business with you Victor, we'll be in touch," Olivia said as she walked out of the conference room.

"What an asshole," Abby said once they were back in Olivia's office.

"That asshole just paid for one of these babies college tuition," she chuckled.

"Speaking of babies; are you excited to finally find out their sex, later on today."

"Actually I am. Everything's been so depressing lately a little bit of good news would be great right now."

They went back to work and later in the evening, after grabbing a late lunch around 5pm, they went to Olivia's doctor to finally find out the sex of the babies. They both sat nervously until the doctor called them into her office. They did the routine check up and then when it was time for the sonogram, Olivia got on the table while the Dr. Williams prepared the probe.

"Dr. Williams, is it possible for me to have a boy and a girl?"

"No. you are having monozygotic twins, they developed from the same embryo. Everything about them will be identical, their genetic makeup, the sex, their features, eye color, hair color, and skin color. Temperament and mannerisms will be different. Within the first few months, it will be hard for even you to tell them apart."

Olivia chuckled.

"Wow! Do identical twins run in families or something because there are no twins in my family or the father's family."

"No, Identical twins are caused when the zygote splits, it's quite an anomaly. It isn't hereditary it just happened by chance. Technically, when the zygote splits it's a malfunction but out of that malfunction comes two beautiful human being so really, it's serendipity."

The doctor spread the gel all over her stomach once more and began gliding the probe over her stomach. Olivia waited nervously, searching the screen for clues.

"What do you want them to be?" Dr. Williams asked.

"Boys," Olivia said with a coy smile.

Dr. Williams smiled.

"Hope you aren't too disappointed because you've got two little princesses in there."

Abby squealed.

"Yay girls."

Olivia was beaming.

"No, I'm not disappointed at all, I'm just really really happy right now, is that the hormones?"

Dr. Williams chuckled.

"I don't think so, just sheer joy."

She wiped the gel off of Olivia's stomach and helped her up.

"Okay so you are 20 weeks right now, I will see you at 23 weeks, I usually do every month until 28 weeks but since you are carrying twins I do every two to three weeks just to stay on the safe side. Also, twin pregnancies can run shorter, they can come as early 34-37 weeks. usually with twins they run tight on space and come on the early side, hopefully, the earliest they come is around 37 weeks."

"Wow, okay, so I have to get things in order a little soon than I expected."

"Yes, you do. I'll see you ladies in three weeks."

"Thanks, Dr. Williams."

They left the office and stopped at a Chinese takeout restaurant before heading to Olivia's apartment.

The second Olivia stepped into the apartment she kicked off her shoes and headed to the couch with her food. Abby turned on the tv and joined her.

"Okay so Abby, we have a lot to do, I'm thinking maybe we could go car shopping this weekend and we also need to start looking for an apartment. They have a three bedroom available in this complex and I talked to the super the other day and he's gonna save it for me."

"Okay yea this is a good building if you can get another apartment here that would be amazing and less hassle for us. We absolutely do need to go car shopping and I also need to start teaching you how to cook."

Olivia chuckled.

"That's gonna be fun," She said sarcastically.

"You need to tell him-"

"I will, I'll call Cyrus tomorrow and see if he can get me alone with him or something. I'll figure it out," she lied.

"Okay good. We need to get you moved out soon because we're gonna need to start working on the nursery."

Olivia pondered for a while.

"Yeah, it'll be good to get it done before I'm too pregnant and too lazy to do it."

Abby snickered.

"We have a lot to do, I'm so excited. We have to vet a nanny and you have to take birthing classes, I heard that people have ripped their vaginas giving birth and unless that sounds fun…"

"God, Abby, you ruin everything."

"Sorry," Abby teased.

"I actually have a gift for you, Abbs."

Abby raised her eyebrow.

"You do? Why?"

Olivia got up and hurried to her closet.

"Wait, I have a whole speech planned for when I give it to you," she called out from the closet.

She grabbed the gift bag and brought it back to living room.

"Open it."

Abby grinned and opened the bag.

There was a folder, with some pages of information and 2 tickets.

"You booked a vacation for me?" she smiled.

"Yep, you and David, I know you guys are a thing now so I think you should spend some special time together."

"By 'special time' you mean bang for 5 days on an island."

"That's exactly what I mean. Go get your back blown out and come back refreshed."

Abby cackled.

"Thanks, Liv, I really appreciate this."

"This is the part where you say 'I don't deserve this'."

"But I do deserve this."

"Yea but for the sake of my speech, you have to say it."

Abby laughed.

"Thanks Liv, I don't deserve this, you have kids on the way, you can't spend frivolously on things like this."

Olivia chuckled.

"Abby, you've been an amazing friend to me these past few months and years before that. I don't know how I would have handled this pregnancy without being here emotionally and physically. I love you and you deserve this vacation so don't complain and let me treat you."

Abby's eyes filled with tears. Olivia was never one to profess her feelings.

"Aww Liv, I love you too - Gimme a hug."

Abby stood and hugged Olivia.

The next day.

Olivia called the super in the afternoon on her lunch to inquire about the apartment. It was in the process of being renovated and once the renovation was over it was going up for grabs. The super told her it would be finished within the next two weeks and told her he would put in a good word for her with building management. She was excited and hoped she get the apartment but until then she had other things to get in order, like buying a car.

On Saturday morning, she headed to the dealership with Abby. She wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for but she hoped that by the end of the day she would have a new car. They already had an OPA car but she needed a personal car.

Abby called ahead and set up a viewing. When they arrived they were immediately greeted by their dealer Sabine. After their brief and casual introduction, Olivia decided to explain to her exactly what she had in mind.

"Sabine, I don't want a mom car, if I have to slide a door shut I'll shoot myself in the hand. I want a four door that can hold two car seats at the back."

Sabine chuckled softly, so did Abby.

"Are you open to foreign models?"

"I mean yeah but - I don't want a Ferrari?" Olivia said skeptically.

"No, not at all. We have a model that I think you will like. I can see you in it already."

"Okay, let's see what you've got for me, Sabine."

Sabine led them to the Mercedes-Benz hangar and showed them the latest model of the Mercedes C-class 4matic sedan.

"This model is 4 wheel drive, it has four doors like you requested. It's stylish and practical and spacious enough for two car seats in the back. The trunk is huge and can hold a double stroller easily. What do you think?"

Olivia inspected the car.

"I think she'll take it," Abby answered for Olivia, which caused Sabine to giggle.

"Sabine, I love it, it's perfect. What colors does it come in?"

"White, black, flat gray and slate."

"I might have to take black but I want to take it for a drive."

Sabine smiled.

"Sure, I'll just need ID."

"Run Karen!" Fitz screamed from the sideline.

Karen stole the ball from the other team and was headed to the goal. It was the playoffs of the local league Karen playing in. The other team was up 1-0.

"SCORE KAREN!" He shouted.

She ran and when she reached the goal, she kicked it but the goalie blocked it and threw it to the other side of the field.

"Nice try sweetie!"

Karen waved to him and then ran back.

"Karen's doing her thing out there. She's a better soccer player than you ever were," Richard teased.

"You were worse than me. So she's better than us both," Fitz countered.

"Debatable!"

Richard was Fitz's best friend since high school. They met in freshman year and have been extremely close ever since. In high school, they did everything together. The joined every basketball and soccer in freshman year and in their sophomore year they were the debate club nerds and tennis captains. In junior year, they dabbled in the photography club and football and in senior year, they thought they were too cool to join any clubs and mostly played football and clowned around. Richard came from humble beginnings his family was poor and could only afford public school, the only reason he and Fitz crossed paths was because Gerry insisted on sending Fitz to a public high school because it would make him seem more relatable in the future. Richard was smart but not exactly book smart the way Fitz was, he was smart with computers and technology. After high school, Fitz went to Yale and got Richard a scholarship from Grant corp so he could attend NYU polytechnic. When Richard left NYU, Fitz got him a job a Grant Corp. While he and Fitz shared the same laid back attitude, he hated politics and never settled down the way Fitz did. He enjoyed the attention women gave him because of his status as director of technological interface at Grant Corp, he'd become very wealthy after holding that job title for many years. Fitz told him everything and vice-versa. he'd know about Olivia since the first time Fitz saw her.

"Has Mellie come to see Karen since she left?"

"Only when the cameras are rolling," Fitz answered.

"She's a damn shame."

Fitz chuckled.

"It's better this way, I'd rather her not be around, Karen doesn't seem to mind either."

Richard chuckled.

"So you still haven't gathered the balls to talk to Olivia yet huh?"

"Oh no, we're not talking about that now."

"Who's your best friend?" Richard asked.

"You are, when you aren't questioning me about my relationships," Fitz countered.

"I'm just saying, I think you should talk to her, maybe she had a reason, you don't know how it all went down and weren't you the one who used to call me and blather on about her for hours, daily. This is payback," Richard laughed.

"It doesn't matter how it went down, she still did it."

Fitz saw Karen steal the ball again and made a beeline for the goal.

"GO KARE!" he screamed.

She ran out in front of everyone and when the goalie came to meet her she kicked the ball in and scored.

"YESS!" both Fitz and Richard screamed from the sideline. The coach on the opposite team called a timeout and both teams hustled to their bench. Karen grabbed her water and ran over to Fitz.

"Dad did you see that?" she said as she hugged Fitz.

"Of course we did. You kicked ass out there number 14," Fitz chuckled.

He held up his palm for a high-five and Karen gladly joined.

"Hey uncle Richard, thanks for coming."

"Are you kidding, I wouldn't miss seeing you in the playoffs, Kare."

The umpire blew his whistle, signaling all the players to come back to the field.

Karen gave Richard a quick hug and he looked around and realized all the soccer mom's eyes were on them, he was flattered.

"I gotta go," Karen said as she ran off.

"Where were we-" Richard began.

"Oh yeah, I was about to say you don't know if they threatened her, you know how Gerry can get, if he really was the one who organized the whole thing, maybe he blackmailed her into or something."

"I don't care, she should have told me, she's not an idiot, I've seen her come up with ways to get out of crazy situations. If Gerry really did do that then if she wanted to, she could've gotten herself out. She wanted to do it just like everyone else and she's using me as an excuse, just like everyone else.."

"I don't get you, you let that snake Cyrus still work for you, he did the same thing."

They both kept the eyes on Karen as she spoke.

"It's not the same. I wasn't surprised that Cyrus did it, I always knew he was ambitious and a little morally bankrupt and I only really kept him around because he's really great at his job. As for Mellie, I knew she was just an opportunist the second I met her. Olivia was different, or at least that's what I thought but she was using me to get ahead just like the rest of them."

Karen got possession of the ball and Fitz cheered.

"Honestly, I don't see what she got out of this. Wasn't she the one who left the white house?"

Fitz sighed, the conversation was annoying him. He didn't have answers to any of the questions Richard was asking.

"She did leave and she used the fame that she got from running a winning presidential campaign to open her own firm and guess what? It's doing great. That's what she what she got out of it - I don't know why you won't let this go - I'm done talking about this and I'm done with her because if she really cared about me then she would've tried to call."

"Weren't you the one who told me you made sure it was pretty impossible for her to contact you. You're being unreasonable, don't you think? She forgave you for that tape thing."

"Why are you defending her, you don't even know her you met her once."

"I'm not defending her… okay well, I am defending her but only because you look gloomy as hell everytime I see you. If it makes you that freaking sad being away from her just be with her man. Life's too short and before you know it you'll be walking down the street and you'll see her with her new man and probably a baby and she's gonna look happy as fuck and you're going to regret being too stubborn to talk to her," Richard declared.

"You don't get it Richie. I don't even think she ever really loved me but that hasn't stopped me from pining over her for months. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her at all and the more the times goes by the worse it gets. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is."

"Then go see her dumbass, yell at her or do something but don't pretend you're not hurt."

"I meant it when I said I don't wanna see or talk to her again and I'm done talking about her right now."

Fine, I'll let it go, I just really think you should talk to her-"

Tom walked up and tapped Fitz's shoulder and handed him a black cell phone.

"It's the NSA sir."

Fitz took the phone quickly. He stepped back from the sideline and spoke for about 30 seconds before he hung up.

"I have to go, tell Karen I'm sorry and I'll make it up to her."

Richard smiled.

"Don't worry I've got it, she'll be fine."

3 weeks later.

"Okay let's go through the list of everything we have so far and everything we need," Abby stated.

"Alright, let's go."

"Okay, we have the car," Abby began.

"Check," Olivia answered.

"We have the apartment."

"Check."

"That's it. That's all we've done," Abby chuckled.

"Okay look, at least now, the renovation is finished, the apartment is ready and the lease is signed."

Abby sighed.

"Olivia it's been almost a month and that's all we've gotten done."

"Once I move, we can start buying stuff, I was looking at this bugaboo carriage online and it's really cute, here's a picture."

Olivia pulled up the image on her phone.

"Oh my god that's so cute," Abby gushed.

"And I was reading the info on it, it folds up really flat and compact so we could definitely throw it in the trunk and as they get older you can transform it into a stroller, it's a good deal."

"Okay, so when are you going to actually move, you need to do it quick, you are almost 6 months pregnant. You can't procrastinate any longer."

"Okay, we can start packing as soon as we buy some boxes and stuff. I'll call movers to move the furniture and heavy stuff, we can move within a week."

"And when are you going to tell the father."

"I will tell him soon."

"You've been saying that since you were 2 months pregnant, it's been 4 months Olivia, it's not a joke anymore."

"I will call Cyrus tomorrow okay."

"You said that already."

"Okay but this time I will."

"Whatever fears you have about telling him, whether it's rejection or whatever, you have to suck it up for the sake of your kids and tell him. If he decides not to be in their lives at least you tried and it's not on you."

"Fitz is not even in the country, how am I supposed to tell him."

"You have international minutes don't you?"

"I'll call Cyrus tomorrow. I promise."

"Tom, stop being so nervous, it's making me nervous," Fitz chuckled.

"Sir, someone is actively trying to assassinate you. I am nervous," Tom said flatly.

"They didn't get in the same city as me and it was almost a month ago. That's not 'actively' trying to do anything."

"That's only because of we caught him before he actually got the chance to carry it out and after a month of interrogation, he still won't reveal who hired him. There is still actively a person trying to kill you."

"Tom, I've gotten thousands of death threats since I've been president, this is no different. We are in France, whoever ordered the hit is in the U.S. it's bad enough out guys won't even let me pee without someone guarding the door. I've been on lockdown since Karen's playoff game. Just let me enjoy this trip."

"We would not have even let you come on this trip if you hadn't confirmed months ago. Your safety comes before everything else"

Fitz sat in the van, looking out at the street as they drove to the grand hall for president Hollande's birthday gala. He was dressed in a tux and a bow tie. He'd been seriously contemplating going to Olivia since his talk with Richard but with everything that happened in the last month, it was extremely hard to sneak out of the White House and also he just wasn't sure if he wanted to see her. They kept quiet about the foiled assassination plans because Fitz didn't want the media to sensationalize it. He also didn't want to scare Karen.

They pulled up to the venue, he asked Cyrus to accompany him on the trip but Cyrus had been quiet the entire ride, he guessed it was from being tired with a new baby in the house.

"Come on, a new baby can't be that bad. Cheer up."

"Ella's great, it's James who is killing me."

Fitz laughed.

"Married life Cyrus, get over yourself."

He could hear the crowd cheering as he stepped out of the car. President Hollande waited on the steps of the hall to meet Fitz. The French police were scattered everywhere and the secret service guard was on high alert as they followed behind him closely up the huge steps.

"Bonjour President Hollande," Fitz greeted.

"Hello, President Grant."

They shook hands and faced the crowd and waved. They were still fully surrounded by police and agents when three of the French police officers opened fire on Fitz. It was as if time stopped. From the corner of his eye, Fitz saw one of the officers reach into his holster and immediately he reacted but it was too late because the other office had already had their guns out.

The first two bullets hit two agents, luckily they had bulletproof vests on. The agents formed a phalanx around Fitz to guard him. The officers fired recklessly, hoping to penetrate the phalanx and a stray bullet almost hit Fitz on the right side of his torso as he was reaching for the gun in Tom's ankle holster. The agents fired back, killing all three officers but then four more officers opened fire. one of the officers attempted to shoot Tom but Fitz shot him in between his eyes, killing him immediately but then another officer shot him in the chest and he fell and grabbed his chest. President Hollande got shot in the lower stomach and fell as well. Tom grabbed Fitz and threw him into the car as the other agents made a barricade around his body. All the rogue officers laid dead on the floor as well as some of Fitz's agents and president Hollande's agents as well, President Hollande's agents brought him back into the hall. Cyrus hadn't yet exited the car when the gunmen opened fire. It all happened so quickly Cyrus barely had time to react, he froze in the back seat and stayed that way until he felt Tom push Fitz's bloody body on him.

"DRIVE!" Tom yelled.

Fitz was barely holding on to his consciousness as he laid in Cyrus' lap, he coughed up blood and struggled to breathe, he felt like there was fire in his chest and he was drowning in his own blood at the same time.

"Cy - I - can't - breathe -" he uttered as he panted for air.

Before he knew it, he was unconscious.

Cyrus held on tightly to his hand as they drove to the hospital.

"Just fight Fitz, were almost there," Cyrus chanted over and over again until they reached the hospital.

Once the doctors had Fitz, they slipped an endotracheal tube into his lungs to help with his breathing and then scurried away with him. he lost a lot of blood and was going into hypovolemic shock. The surgeon immediately went to work removing the bullets, while the nurses set up the IV drops. The bullet hit him in his right lung. Once the bullets were removed, he began working on repairing the damaged lung and inserted a thoracostomy tube into his chest to remove excess blood and other fluids from his chest cavity. They put him on a ventilator, gave him pain meds and antibiotics and left him to rest.

Abby sat on the couch debating whether or not to wake Olivia. She slept over Olivia' last night with the intent to help her pack in the morning but when she turned on the news and saw the continuous loop of the attack in France, she didn't know what to do. She pondered for about 20 minutes before she got up and went to Olivia's room to wake her.

"Liv? Wake up," she tugged her shoulder lightly.

"Abby?" she said sleepily.

"Liv, you need to wake up."

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's like 8:30, I think."

"Uh- it's Saturday Abby, just give me like an extra hour and then we can start packing."

"No, it's not that, it's the president…"

Olivia groaned.

"Abby, I told you I would call him today."

Abby hesitated, she wasn't really good at delivering bad news, she wasn't sure how to say it.

"Olivia, that's not why it- Olivia - they shot him, in France and the French President too."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's all over the news."

Olivia sat up.

"Abby if this is a joke - "

"No, I would never joke about this."

Olivia got up quickly and ran to the living room. She froze when she saw the footage of Fitz getting shot, she saw him grab his chest and howl in pain and she saw the blood spew from his mouth as Tom grabbed him and shoved him in the car. They played it over and over again on a continuous loop. Abby stood by waiting for her reaction but there was none, she just stood silently, watching the footage.

"Liv?"

Abby tugged her shoulder and when she turned to face her Abby realized she had been crying.

"Liv, it's gonna be okay."

Olivia grabbed her stomach and ran to the bathroom to throw up. Abby ran behind her and rubbed her back as she vomit into the toilet.

"He's strong. You have no idea how strong he is, he'll survive."

"It's okay, I know he will," Abby said as she consoled her and rubbed circles into her back. Olivia sat floor for a while, sobbing.

Abby wasn't sure what to do, Olivia wasn't a 'crier' and she's certainly never seen her cry like that before, she didn't know how to console her or what so say so she just sat beside her.

After a while Olivia calmed down and got up, she washed her face and rinsed out her mouth.

"What are you going?"

"I can't just sit here and cry and think about him dying. I'll lose my mind. I'm gonna call Cyrus until he picks up."


	12. Chapter 12

Fitz had been in and out of consciousness for hours. It was three days after the shooting. The doctors had him on a steady flow of pain meds that kept him asleep. Cyrus never left the hospital, he sat by Fitz's side waiting for him to wake up for good. He'd woken up a few times but every time he woke, he was in so much pain, the doctors put him back to sleep. He was in good shape considering what happened. He is lungs hadn't collapsed and after three days, he was breathing on his own. Tom was busy making travel arrangement with the air ambulance so that once the doctors gave the okay for Fitz to travel, he could head back to D.C. Cyrus' phone had been in a constant state of vibration from all the calls that he was receiving since the shooting, his battery died and he ended up having to use the secret service black phone as a means of contact.

"Cy-" Fitz called.

It was the 3rd time he'd woken up and it was only afternoon.

"Fitz, are you up again?"

"Yea, my throat is killing me and my chest is fire, call the doctor."

"Fitz, you been in and out of sleep for days. If I call the doctors all they are going to do is give you meds to put you back to sleep."

"What's going on?" He asked.

"You were shot."

"I know that but where am I?"

"France. The prime minister is here too, he was shot as well."

"Where is Karen and -"

"Olivia? You've been asking for them both when you woke up high on meds. They're in the states."

"I want to talk to Karen."

Fitz realized he was becoming short of breath.

"The doctors said you should take it easy, it will take a little while for your breathing to become normal. Let me call them, they can explain it better than I can but please don't let them put you back to sleep, we have a lot to do."

Fitz nodded barely and then Cyrus ran out to call the doctors.

Within a few short moments the doctors came back.

"Monsieur President," the surgeon greeted.

"Hello, Dr…"

"Bonaparte," He replied.

"How are you feeling? On a scale of 1-10, how is the pain?"

"6" Fitz answered.

"We can give you more morphine," the doctor suggested with a heavy accent.

"I don't want to be put back to sleep and the pain meds make me foggy, I need to think clearly while I sort out some issues."

"No problem - we will give you a smaller dosage but if the pain becomes too much, then we will have to put you back on the original dosage."

"How bad is the injury?"

"It could have been worse, way worse. The bullet passed through the rib and punctured the lung. There were splinters from the rib bone but we cleaned it up and luckily the lung didn't collapse, you are breathing on your own which is a good sign, it means you are healing quickly. You will be short of breath for a while but breathing exercises will take care of that. It will take about two weeks - three weeks for you to function normally and 2-3 months for you to be almost to completely healed."

"My throat is sore, why is that?" He asked.

"The endotracheal tube is to blame for that, we also had to give you a blood transfusion but don't worry Monsieur, you will feel better within a week."

"When can I go back to the states?"

"In about 2 days. Now that you are breathing on your own, it's just about resting and healing and keeping your wound contained, traveling in an airplane is not good for you right now considering the type of wound you have," The second doctor answered.

Fitz certainly wasn't happy about having to wait an extra two days to leave but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"Thank you, doctor, I'm very grateful for your help."

They both nodded and left.

"Cyrus, what's happened since I've been shot?" he didn't want to talk too much because his throat still hurts but he also needed to know what was going on.

"Well, Karen is freaking out, she's been refusing to eat or sleep since the shooting and she also won't go to school."

"Let me talk to her."

"She's asleep, she finally fell asleep a few hours ago, I told them to call me as soon as she wakes up. I didn't think flying her out here was a good idea, I hope that's alright with you."

"No, I'm glad you didn't, I don't want her here with all the craziness that's going on. What exactly is going on Cyrus?"

"We have all the intelligence agencies working together on this one. What we know so far is that the officers who opened fire on you infiltrated the french police force. They weren't real officers. They were terrorist cells for an organization that practically has suicide mission assassins for hire. The French are not happy. Right now the intelligence is linking whoever hired the first assassin as the person behind this which means this is a shitstorm, an American is actively employing foreign terrorists to kill you. Sally Langston is acting president and is doing her best to try and convince the American people that you are as good as dead without actually saying it so we need you back in the states as soon as possible. We can't wait another two days Fitz, we have to get a lid on this thing now."

"So how do we do that?"

"Firstly, we need to get you on camera, tell the people you feel fine and that the only reason you are still even in here is because the doctors are begging you to stay. That should take care of that bitch Sally, secondly tonight, we can sneak you out and get you on that air ambulance Tom was waiting on standby for you and get you to the states asap."

"Okay, I'm not going on camera, you can put out a statement and do whatever you have to do to get me back in the states. Where is Tom? I wanna speak to him."

"He's in the lobby with the other guards, I'll call him."

Cyrus ran out and called Tom. Fitz ran his left hand over his chest and felt the bandages around his chest, his right arm was stiff.

Tom walked in behind Cyrus a little while later.

"I'm glad you're okay sir," Tom greeted solemnly.

"Thanks to you, if you guys hadn't blocked me off, I was as good as dead."

"I should be thanking you, sir, I've been watching the footage, that guy- he had me and would've killed me too if you hadn't shot him first, so thank you."

Fitz nodded.

"How many guys did we lose and how many are injured?"

"We lost 4 and 3 are seriously injured," Tom replied calmly.

"4?" Fitz choked out.

"It's my fault, I should've taken the threat more seriously."

"No sir, it's not your job to worry about your safety, it's our job and we failed you. Once I find whoever ordered this hit on you and we take care of them, I'll resign so that someone better can head your security."

"Tom, I'm not letting you go anywhere okay. I want you by my side alway, I'm alive, I'm thankful for that because 4 of my guards can't say the same. I want their families taken care of, anything they need, I'll take care of it."

"Okay, sir."

Tom stayed with Fitz for a while before he headed back out.

"Fitz, I just emailed out a statement, I told them you were in stable condition and that you were even joking with the doctors, it was a miracle and all that jazz."

"Good."

"How does your chest feel?" Cyrus asked.

"I feel like if I take a deep breath, it's going to burst open. It hurts but compared to how it felt when I got shot, what I feel now is nothing."

"Olivia's been calling me, a lot, but then my phone died and I don't remember her number out of my head but she really wants to talk to you, she's really worried, I know you remember her number, do you want to call her?"

"No. Who else called?"

"Fitz, she wants to know how you are feeling? Just call her and tell her you okay so she can calm down. If I tell her, she won't believe me."

"Olivia is no longer a part of this administration, she's a private citizen and if she wants to know how I'm doing she can watch the news like everyone else."

Cyrus sighed.

"You're still upset. I get that and you know, I've known Olivia for a long time now and I really do care about her despite the fact that I'm a terrible mentor. I mean - I convince her to do terrible things at every turn and I throw her under the bus whenever I need to save me own ass. That being said, I'm trying to change, I have a child now and I'm just trying to be a good father and a better person. I don't want to be in the middle of this thing that's going on between you and her because obviously I'm friends to both of you so I'm going to give you a choice and this is the last you'll hear from me about her - if she was just some hot chick you were banging, then fine you don't have to call her, you don't have to care about her feelings but if you actually do love her the way that I think and hope you do then call her, even if you can't forgive her for what she did just let her know you are okay."

"Don't do that Cyrus. Don't give me ultimatums and don't make me look like the bad guy. I am not going to call her."

"Fitz you're being unreasonable."

"I don't care."

"Fine, at least give me the number so I can call her and tell her you're okay. She's not replying to my emails."

Fitz held out his palm so Cyrus could give him the phone and when he did, he entered the number and gave the phone back to Cyrus.

Cyrus paced as it rang and then her voice came over the line.

"Hello? Cyrus?"

Her voice sounded soft and hoarse, he knew she must've been crying.

"Hey, Liv...I'm sorry -"

"Cyrus it's been two days. Why haven't you been answering my calls? Did something happen to him and you're not telling me?" she sobbed through the phone.

"No. He's alive and awake. My phone died and I had to use the secret service phone."

"If he's up then let me talk to him. "

Cyrus looked over to Fitz, who was staring away from him. He decided to take the conversation outside because it was getting too awkward.

"Liv, he doesn't want to talk to you."

"What do you mean he doesn't want to talk to me? Put him on the phone."

"Olivia I can't - ."

"Cyrus if he's not okay and you're just saying that he is to keep the media at bay then I'll never forgive you."

"Olivia he is up and talking. He knows I'm on the phone with you, he doesn't want to talk to you, Olivia. I'm sorry."

Olivia hung up immediately.

"What did he say? What happened?" Abby asked.

Olivia hurled the phone into the wall and it shattered on contact.

"I just became a single mom, that's what happened."

"You should have just blurted it out, Cyrus could have told him."

"Why should I have to do that? He hates me. If I can't at least get him on the phone to tell him I'm carrying his children then he doesn't deserve to be in their lives. You think that if I told him he got his ex-mistress that he wants nothing to do with got knocked up he'll suddenly have a change of heart. I'm on my own Abby and I'm not gonna beg him for affection, not for me or them. I've been on the brink of a mental breakdown for the past three days like an idiot and he wouldn't even let me know he was alive. I'm done with him. I never wanna see him again," she cried.

"You don't mean that. You're just angry."

"I meant every word."

After fighting with the doctors about the risks of leaving the hospital too early to travel internationally, Fitz ended up waiting two days before he could leave for the states. He landed in the early morning and was taken straight to James Madison hospital. Once Karen woke up that morning they took her straight to see him.

"Fitz? Karen's here to see you. The guards are bringing her in right now," Cyrus said as he walked into the room.

Almost on cue, Karen walks in behind him a few seconds later.

"Daddy!"

She ran over to him and hugged him from the side of the bed and cried.

"Hey Kare, it's okay, I'm alright."

"I was so worried about you, I thought you died and they weren't telling me."

"Are you kidding me, Kare? I'm not going anywhere, if I leave then who's gonna cut the crust off your peanut butter sandwiches," he chuckled.

She stood up and wiped her eyes.

"Daddy, you know I can cut my own crust of right," she giggled, her eyes filled with tears.

"I choose not to believe that."

"Daddy you've seen me cut it myself."

"Have I?" Fitz said pretending to try and remember.

Karen covered her face and laughed.

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you too Kare."

Richard and Tabitha walked in.

"He's alive," Richard teased.

Tabitha slapped his arm.

"You're not funny Richard," she scolded.

"Sorry Titi."

Karen kicked off her shoes and joined Fitz on the bed.

"I smell food," Fitz said loudly.

"Yes, I brought you food," Tabitha said as she walked over and hugged him.

"You had me worried sick. Don't you ever scare me like that again. I only voted republican once in my life and I didn't do it so that crazy white woman can take over your office."

"We'll kick her out soon enough. I'll be out of here in a day or so."

"Good, Mellie's out there acting like Jackie-O, just a heads up." Richard warned.

Fitz stifled a laugh.

"Don't make me laugh."

"So how do you feel daddy?"

"Well, I feel okay. Once I'm on painkillers I feel good and as long as I don't sneeze, cough, burp, laugh or fart I'm fine."

They all chuckled.

Karen hugged him again.

"I'm so glad your okay dad."

Fitz leaned over and kissed her forehead, it wasn't without pain but he did it anyway. He knew it was time to change the subject, he didn't want them dwelling on his injury.

"So what'd you guys bring me to eat..."

One month later

"Abby, I really think I did pretty good."

Abby giggled.

"Well let me try it and see."

Abby took a bite of the chicken Olivia cooked and spat it out.

"Olivia this tastes like a dog's asshole."

Olivia chuckled.

"It's not that bad, let me try."

Olivia took a bite and spat it and gagged.

"It tastes like a dog's asshole if the dog died two weeks ago."

Abby cackled.

"I think you'll learn pretty soon, luckily you won't actually need to cook anything with flavor till they are like 1 or 2, I'm really not sure."

"Yeah I guess," Olivia agreed.

"So, are you excited to meet with nannies. I know I am."

"I am - I guess."

Olivia's attitude since the shooting had been despondent and solemn. She hardly got excited about anything and mostly kept to herself. It was killing Abby but she knew Olivia had times where she just processed things by herself, so she gave her space. She tried to do as much as she could to get her excited again, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.

She was pretty excited to decorate the nursery and every time Abby's famous cooking lessons came up, that excited her but not much else did.

Abby ran and grabbed her camera to snap a candid shot of Olivia. She had been taking as many pictures of Olivia pregnant as she could.

"Liv - say cheese."

Olivia half turned and Abby snapped the shot.

"Abby, I wasn't ready."

"That's what makes it perfect, you have flour all over your face, it's so cute. I'm gonna frame this one."

Olivia didn't argue, she just cleaned up the dishes and went to sleep shortly after.

The next morning Olivia got up early to prepare for the interviews. She had about 7 nannies scheduled to see her today. Huck did extensive background checks on all of them and out of everyone, those 7 all cleared. Abby was prepared to live with her for the first few months until the twins could sleep through the night but Olivia decided against it at the last minute so now she kept Abby's room was the guest room. The twins nursery was complete with two cribs and two rocking chairs that Harrison and Stephen had a ball setting up. She had a twin pram, two car seats, and two baby carriers. She bought onesies, bibs, bottles, blankets, diapers and just about everything the baby site that she uses on the internet said she was supposed to buy. The first interview started at 10, Abby was a little late but she was there for most of them. The first nanny she met was a middle aged Asian woman named Mai, she was a little too rigid for her taste. The second nanny was a Jamaican woman named Bonnie, she liked Bonnie, she seemed very nurturing. She had one Scottish nanny, one from Trinidad, one southern lady, and an Indian nanny among others. At the end of the day she decided to call three nannies back for another interview, the Indian nanny Jenki, the Jamaican nanny Bonnie and the Scottish nanny Elodie. She also needed to find a backup nanny but she wasn't worried about that as yet. Once she decided on the nanny, she hoped that she could enjoy the rest of her pregnancy and focus on birthing classes to prepare herself for the delivery.

"Well after a manhunt that lasted three weeks we found our guy, who would've thought he would've been a republican," Cyrus mused.

"Yes well, I think it makes for an interesting chapter in the history books. The republican president who wasn't republican enough so his own party tried to assassinate him," Fitz chuckled.

"Well at least you got rid of Sally, she knew about the assassination attempt so she's going down for conspiracy, that bitch. You got Wyatt Phillips, richest oil tycoon and republican donor going down for attempted murder and treason, we got the leader of the republican party Marcus Pitt going down, pretty much everyone who ever gave you a hard time, this calls for a party," Cyrus said excitedly.

"I wouldn't take it that far-"

Karen burst into the oval.

"Hey, daddy. Did you take your pills today," she said with a bright smile.

"Sweetie, you watched me take them earlier. Don't you remember?"

"I remember I just wanted to see if you did," she chuckled.

She walked over to his desk holding a plate.

"Daddy, I made you a sandwich, I put American cheese on there with turkey, I even threw in a little piece of lettuce because I want you to eat healthily."

Fitz laughed.

"Thanks, Kare it looks great."

"And how does your chest feel mister."

"It feels good, I promise."

"Great, some of my friends from summer camp are coming over so we can watch movies in the theater room."

"Okay, have fun, I'll be here eating my sandwich."

"Okay, bye uncle Cy, bye daddy."

Karen said as she ran out.

Cyrus waited until Karen was out of the office to begin.

"So Fitz, why aren't you sleeping?" Cyrus asked candidly.

"What?"

"You heard me? The maids talk and for the past couple of weeks, they've been saying you've been sitting out on the balcony at nights or roaming the rose garden. Why is that? Now I've been trying to keep them quiet, I don't want that getting out to the press."

"Cyrus, I'm fine."

"Is it the shooting? Are you having PTSD or something?"

"No, I'm not having PTSD, I'm fine."

"Alright, if you say so."

"I'm fine Cy."

Ever since Cyrus' conversation with Olivia in France, he'd been having trouble sleeping. He felt terrible for not speaking to her but he was also conflicted. At times he found himself wanting nothing more than to hold her and at other times, he resented her for what she did. For the past week, he'd seriously been thinking about going to see her and he thought that maybe tonight he would actually gather enough resolve to do it. He worked in the oval for hours. Around 6, he grabbed a light dinner with Karen and after she went to bed, he went back to the oval to work. By 10:30, he called Tom into the oval.

"Tom, can you bring the car around, I want to go see Olivia."

Tom nodded with a small smirk.

"What's so funny?" Fitz chuckled.

"Nothing Sir, the guys and I had a bet to see how long you could stay away from her and you lasted longer than we thought."

Fitz shook his head.

"Not funny Tom, I'm pretty sure she's not even going to want to see me much less talk to me."

Within 15 minutes, Tom came back for Fitz. and took him down to the car. The drive was short but it felt longer because he was so anxious to see her. He waited briefly in the car for the building to be cleared and then went up. He paced outside her door for a few minutes until Tom insisted that he knock the door because the longer he stood in the hall, the more likely it was that he got spotted by someone.

Fitz had Tom knock as he stood to the side and waited for her to open the door.

An elderly lady opened the door.

"Do you know what time it is young man? Why are you knocking my door," she scolded.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I was looking for someone," Tom replied politely.

"Who were you looking for?"

"Uhm - Olivia Pope."

"Olivia - Pope, why I think that nice black girl that lived her before me was named Olivia. She was such a sweetheart."

"Before you, she moved?" Tom asked.

"Yes, why else would I live here now. You, young people, don't use common sense much anymore," she ranted.

Fitz stood with his back against the wall so he was out of view, he could barely hold back the joy he got from listening the old lady rip Tom a new one.

"Can you tell me where she is now?"

"Are you the police or the FBI?" she asked.

"No."

"Then I'm keeping my mouth shut, good night young man, that's a nice suit," she slammed the door shut.

They headed back to the car.

"Sir, we can find her new address tomorrow."

"Maybe it's a sign, maybe I should just leave her alone," Fitz sighed.

"It's up to you."

"Abby, I feel like I'm about to pop open. There is no way I'm carrying them a week longer, they'll be here any day now."

"I know, almost 36 weeks pregnant, can you believe it?" Abby gushed.

"Dr. Williams said if I give birth now they'll have to stay in the hospital for a few days but if I can hold out until at least 37 weeks, they'll be fine and I can take them home after a couple of days so I'm really trying to hold out for as long as possible but seriously it feels so uncomfortable, I can't even explain to you how terrible I feel right now."

"Don't worry, you only have one week to go, you can make it."

Olivia sat on the couch, with a huge bowl of popcorn in front of her as they both watched reruns of Martin.

Olivia stopped physically working at O.P.A. when she turned 32 weeks. Instead, she worked from home and did consultations over the phone. After she gave birth, she planned to take a month off from working completely to focus on the girls with the help of the baby nurse. After they turned one month, then Bonnie, the nanny would start working with her at the house. She planned on working from home until they turned 3 months and then she would go back to O.P.A. full time.

"Have you thought of names?" Abby asked.

"No, I just figured when I see them, I'll know."

"I hate when parents say that, that's so boring."

"I don't know what you want me to do Abby?"

"You have like a week left of being pregnant, how about you actually enjoy being pregnant - here, I'm gonna record you."

"Why-"

"For the girls to see pregnant mommy in the future - just- say something nice or whatever. It'll be really fun."

"Abby I'm not in the mood."

"We're doing in, sit up straight and don't slouch."

Abby grabbed her camera.

"Just say something from the heart," Abby instructed.

"ACTION!"

Abby started recording.

"Uhm - hi girls, it's mommy here," she said nervously.

"I am almost 35 weeks pregnant and it hasn't been fun, I throw up a lot and I can't sleep on my stomach and that's my favorite place to sleep," she chuckled, "You guys fight and twist and turn in there whenever you're awake and you guys like to be awake when I'm asleep so I'm still trying to figure out how to get you back for that. I am really excited to see you, even though I don't know the first thing about taking care of a baby or babies in this case but I've been trying to learn as much as I can before you get here."

She caressed her stomach as she tried to hold hack tears.

"I love both of you girls and you aren't even here yet. I just know what when I meet you, that love is gonna be multiplied by a million and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure you feel safe and loved and happy. This is your mama and your auntie Abby is recording."

Abby flipped the camera so it was facing her and smiled and then flipped it back to Olivia.

"I will see you guys in a week, give or take."

Olivia blew a kiss to the camera and smiled and then Abby ended the clip.

"See I told you that would cheer you up, I have a present for my god babies."

"What did you get them?"

Abby reached into her purse.

"Since they are identical, I got them bracelets to tell them apart, one gold, one silver."

She held up two heart bracelets.

"I love these Abby, thanks."

"They are not for you," Abby teased.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

A week later Olivia's water broke.

"ABBY?" she called through the phone, it was 11am and Abby was already at O.P.A.

"Liv, what's going on?"

"My water just broke, what should I do, should I call the ambulance or get a taxi?"

"No remember Dr. Williams said to call her, are you having contractions?"

"No, not yet."

"Okay, then you have to wait until the contractions start but call her first because I'm really not sure."

"Okay."

"I'm on my way there."

Olivia hung up and called Dr. Williams. Dr. Williams told her to wait until her contraction were closer together and that's exactly what she did. It took about 6 hours for them to be close enough for her to go to the hospital. Abby drove her to the hospital and waited with her as they set her up in her suite.

Olivia was calm for the most part, quietly breathing through her contractions until they became more intense.

"Abby, I need an epidural. Now. Right now."

"Liv you said if you ask for the epidural not to give it to you."

"No - no - no - Abby… you don't understand - I need it," she begged.

She tried to breathe through the contractions, they came closer and closer together and they were getting more intense.

"Abby please just go get it."

Abby ran out and came back after a couple of minutes.

"The doctor is coming."

"Oh thank god."

On cue, the doctor came in and asked a couple questions and did a quick inspection before giving her the epidural.

After the epidural kicked in, Olivia calmed down.

"Olivia - how are you feeling now?"

"Sad," she murmured with tears in her eyes.

"Why are you sad?"

"I just wish - he was here."

Abby got up and hugged her.

"It's okay Liv, you'll get through it. This is a part of what comes with your decision not to tell him."

"I'm ready to push these babies out," Olivia said changing the conversation.

"The guys are waiting to come see you. I told them not to come until I gave them the okay, I'm sure you don't want them here when you give birth."

"Thanks."

"The epidural is working right?" Abby asked.

"Yea, it is. I should've taken it the second I got here."

A few hours later, the doctors came back when Olivia was fully dilated to help her begin pushing.

"Olivia I need you to bear down as hard as you can," the doctor instructed.

"Okay, I'm ready," Olivia panted.

"I'm going to count to 10 and you will push for 10 seconds and when I stop, breathe okay."

"Okay."

She pushed for about 10 minutes before baby A came and baby B came two minutes later.

The doctor wiped them both off and placed them on Olivia's chest.

"Oh my god, they're finally here," Olivia gushed.

"Shit Liv, you did it," Abby said loudly.

The nurses took them from her a few moments later so the pediatrician could look at them and went back to help Olivia get cleaned up. Even though it was usual for twins to be born around the 34-38 week mark, the doctors still wanted to take precautions. After all the procedures were finished, Olivia requested help breastfeeding the twins. She had no idea it would be so painful to breastfeed but she fought through it.

She managed to get a few hours of rest after breastfeeding and when she woke up, Harrison, Huck, and Stephen were all waiting for her, with food.

"Hey Liv, you look terrible," Harrison teased.

"Really because I feel great like I've been kissed by a unicorn after being hit by a bus."

She paused.

"I know you guys didn't just bring food for yourselves."

"Calm down. We brought you shrimp scampi, your favorite," Stephen chuckled.

"What have my beautiful girls been up too while I was sleeping," she asked.

"They've been sleeping too."

Huck handed her a teddy bear.

"Uhm...congrats Liv," Huck uttered.

"Thank you Huck," she chuckled.

They all sat together and ate until the girls woke up. The nurse handed them to Olivia so she could breastfeed once more. The guys left the room to give her some privacy.

As she breastfed them, she stared down at their little faces. It was the first time they opened their eyes fully since they were born. They were blue like Fitz's.

"Have you figured out their names as yet?" Abby asked snapping her out of her trance.

"Yes - I have."

"Okay, what are they?" Abby asked excitedly.

"Baby A is Luna Nova Pope and baby B is Lana Yona Pope."

"You've known all along what you were gonna name them haven't you?"

"I have," she giggled but then winced from the pain.


	13. Chapter 13

After 3 days at the hospital, Olivia was able to go home with her girls and started working with the baby nurse immediately. She found herself a lot more tired than she anticipated after giving birth to two, 5 lb babies. Her baby nurse Lucy, taught her how to feed, change, burp and bathe them. She gave her special instructions on how to put them to sleep. The first week with them home was great. Olivia tried to do as much as she could and whatever she couldn't, the nurse helped. They were good babies, mostly quiet. They only cried when it was time to be fed or changed or if Olivia took their pacifier. They loved the pacifier more than life itself, the only time they would let go of it was when it was time to be fed. She still couldn't tell them apart but she knew that with time, that would change.

She found herself oddly at peace after giving birth. The fact that the girls were so calm and such good babies, helped her out a lot. She thought she would be anxious and edgy but they just made her happy. She was in pure postpartum bliss. When she brought the girls in for their two week check up, they were doing great. They were gaining weight which was great because she wanted fat babies. After the check up, she brought them straight home and then relieved the baby nurse. She fed them and laid on the couch with them on her chest, they way she usually did. After about half hour of laying on the couch gazing at her girls, Abby walked in.

"Where are my god babies?"

"They're right here," Olivia whispered.

Abby slept over the apartment every night since the girls were born. She wouldn't go home and Olivia didn't mind having her there all the time.

"How was the doctor's visit?" Abby asked as she washed her hands.

"Good, they gained almost a pound each."

Abby threw off her blazer and sat across from Olivia on the couch.

"Give me one," Abby demanded.

"Okay here, take Luna," Olivia chuckled.

Abby reached over and took Luna from off Olivia's chest. They were each swaddled in a pink blanket and had a pink cap on.

"You have a nice new mom glow thing going on for you I like it."

"Thanks, Abby. I don't know I just didn't think I could love them so much. It's an odd feeling of happiness but also being scared to death that I can't protect them from everything. It's a little terrifying," she chuckled.

"Don't worry, they are happy and healthy and so so adorable. I can't believe how cute they are."

"I know, I can't believe I'm someone's mom, it's just sinking in. It's a good feeling though. I am so glad I kept them, they are just perfect," Olivia gushed.

Before Olivia knew it, the girls were 6 weeks old. Olivia alternated between giving them formula and breast milk and it really made a difference because they more than doubled in weight, they were now 10 pounds each, from initially being 5 lbs when they were born. She hired a trainer and started working out at the boxing club that was a few blocks away from her apartment to get her body back. She was working at home for O.P.A. Bonnie, her nanny was doing great with the girls, whenever Olivia was home she took over and did everything herself even though Bonnie told her to let her do her job. She'd become a pro at caring for them, she learned a lot from her baby nurse and was constantly looking at forums online to find new techniques, to teach herself. As far as she was concerned life was great.

"Fitz you need to start dating," Cyrus insisted.

"Woah, why?"

"You and Mellie have been divorced for almost a year now, the country thinks it's time for you to start dating. They don't want a president with blue balls Fitz."

Fitz chuckled.

"I'll start dating when I'm good and ready."

"No, it needs to be now. I'll get you a list of people who I think would be a good pick with the public and you can pick from that."

"Cyrus I'm not doing that."

"Why not?" Cyrus asked.

"Because I don't want to."

"Why not?" Cyrus asked again.

"I'm done talking about this," Fitz snapped.

"Do you not want to date because of Olivia? I thought you said you were over her."

"I am."

"So what's the problem?"

"I'm just - have you spoken to her? How is she doing?" Fitz asked.

"I haven't spoken to her since the shooting, she won't return my calls."

"And you haven't seen her either?"

"No, I haven't seen her since she visited us when we brought Ella home and that was months ago."

"I'm just wondering how she's doing."

"I'm sure she's fine, she's probably just really busy with work."

"Yea maybe."

Fitz had healed a great deal since the shooting. He was able to start light to moderate workouts again, his breathing was back to normal but ever so often, he would feel pain in his chest but the doctor said that was normal. He had a huge scar on his chest but it didn't bother him, if anything it reminded him how lucky he was to have survived. After a few more speeches from Richard since the night he went to visit Olivia, he understood that he was way too harsh on her. He felt remorseful about the things he'd said and done but he didn't know how to face her and tell her that. He had a meeting with the board members of Grant Corp at the headquarters in New York, the only reason he was slightly excited was because he would get to hang with Richard.

He flew via helicopter to AF1 early the next morning to New York. He arrived at Grant headquarters, a high-rise glass building smack in the middle of midtown on the helipad on top of the building. Richard stood on the deck, waiting for him.

"Rich, don't you have work to do?" Fitz greeted as he stepped off the helicopter.

"Don't tell me you are going to suddenly start acting like my boss are you?"

"Of course not," Fitz chuckled.

They embraced each other and then headed to the boardroom through the roof entrance. He headed straight to Richard office not bothering to do his usual walk through. Richard's office was on the top floor of the Grant high-rise overlooking the city. When they got to the office, Richard sat at his desk while Fitz stood at the glass window looking down at the city.

"Come on, spit it out. I saw it on your face as soon as you stepped off the chopper." Richard said with an eye roll.

"I miss her," Fitz confessed.

"What was that?" Richard teased.

"I miss her okay. I miss her voice. I miss her face. I miss her smell. I love her and I miss her okay Richard. Shit!"

Richard chuckled at Fitz's frustration.

"So you finally admit it huh?"

"I'm fucked, aren't I? Do you think I have a shot?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Well considering the fact that you dumped her and haven't spoken to her in months, I don't really think so. Even the whole, not speaking to her when you got shot, that was just a dick move."

"Who's side are you on?"

"I'm on your side of course but as you're best friend it's my job to tell you the truth. She young and successful and hot. Do you really think she's going to sit around waiting for you to give her the time of day when all these other guys must be going after her?"

"Well I'm the president, I think that should give me some advantage," Fitz said snarkily.

"Do you think she cares about that? Really? " Richard asked.

"Honestly… I don't know. She perplexes me sometimes. She's not really a big on sharing feelings."

"I guess you could try to get her back, it couldn't hurt. But how?"

"Ella-My goddaughter's christening is coming up. Olivia is her godmother, so she'll be there. If I can get her alone, maybe she'll talk to me."

"And what if she doesn't?"

"I don't know Richard. One step at a time."

Richard chuckled.

"Just let me hear you say it once," Richard teased.

Fitz sighed.

"You were right and I was wrong...as usual."

Richard erupted in laughter.

"Just like old times buddy. How long do you have here with me anyways?"

Fitz checked his watch.

"20 minutes before Tom comes in here a drags me back to D.C," Fitz chuckled.

Fitz didn't get to spend 20 minutes with Richard because within 10, Tom came to take him back to D.C.

Two weeks later.

Cyrus had been calling Olivia for months after the shooting and she never returned his calls. She hadn't seen or spoken to Ella since she first came home and Cyrus needed to formally invite her to the christening he and James had been planning for months. He got fed up and decided to make his way to O.P.A. after his morning briefing meetings.

"I think that maybe I should take some extra time off. I'm not ready to leave my girls as yet," Olivia whined.

"Liv, it's been three months, you said at three months you would go back to work. You have a business to run, you can't stay home any longer when people come to O.P.A. they want to work with you not us," Abby scolded.

"Bonnie, what do you think?" Olivia asked as she swayed Lana back and forth in her hands.

"You need to go to work Olivia," Bonnie said in her Jamaican accent.

"You sure you aren't saying that just to get rid of me because I'm annoying?"

"Yes, that's exactly why I'm saying that Olivia."

What Olivia loved about Bonnie was how nurturing she was. It was almost like having an older aunt around.

Olivia put Lana back in her baby bouncer and then picked up Luna and coddled her.

"Olivia come on, I'm almost done getting ready, you need to start," Abby protested.

Olivia rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Okay my pudding cup, mommy's going to get ready to go to work okay," she said to Luna as she placed her back in the bouncer.

"Don't think Mommy forgot about you, my strawberry shortcake," she said to Lana.

In response, she heard a soft baby giggle from them both and it made her day. She hurried to her closet to pick something to wear. It was early November and it was slightly chilly outside so she grabbed her Burberry trench and theory navy slim pants suit. As Abby did her makeup in the mirror, she saw Olivia's reflection.

"Liv, you look great. Those boxing classes really are working, your ass looks good."

"Thanks Abby, I'm just glad I got my body back," she said as she tried to figure out which boots to wear.

"Those ones," Abby pointed to the pair a nude suede chunky heeled ankle boots by Stella McCartney.

"Yea, I was thinking those ones too," Olivia agreed.

Once she had her outfit on, she threw her purse over her shoulder and went back to the living room. She walked over to her girls and kneeled down.

"Okay my sugar cakes, mommy has to go to work to pay the bills and she's gonna miss you all day," she bent forward and kissed them both on the cheeks.

"Bon bon, I'm gonna be super annoying today, I'm gonna be facetiming you a lot okay."

She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed an apple and then headed to the door.

"Have a good day at work Olivia," Bonnie called out.

Olivia turned around but Abby grabbed her hand.

"Just let me kiss them one more time," she whined.

"No Olivia, let's go," Abby pulled her through the door and with that, they headed to work.

When Olivia walked into the office, Harrison, Huck, and Stephen were already there.

"Welcome back Liv, it feels like forever," Harrison said with his wide goofy smile.

"I know, it does feel like forever and if Abby hadn't dragged me out of the house this morning, I would have never made it here. Every time I was about to leave they looked at me with their big eyes and said 'don't leave us, mommy.' so I couldn't," she chuckled.

"I'm obsessed with them. Do you have any fresh pictures?" Stephen asked.

"Sure do," she said as she pulled out her phone and proceeded to show them the pictures.

After they chatted for a while, they all branched off to fulfill their respective duties. It was still morning time when Cyrus managed to make his way over to her office. Olivia was in the middle of a call when Cyrus stepped out of the elevator and walked into the conference room.

"I need to speak with Olivia," he announced.

Harrison was momentarily dumbfounded but he recovered after a few seconds and went to call Olivia. She was still on the call when he walked into her office so he wrote it on a notepad in all caps.

'Cyrus Beene is here to see you.'

"No," she mouthed back to Harrison.

He nodded and went back to the conference room.

"I'm sorry, she's unavailable at the moment," Harrison said politely.

"Do you know who I am? Tell Olivia to stop being immature and come out here and speak t o me - better yet, I'll go and speak to her," Cyrus stepped past Harrison and made a beeline for Olivia's office.

Harrison stepped in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you go in there. If my boss says she's unavailable, then she's unavailable," Harrison said firmly.

"I will destroy you, son. Get out of my way."

Cyrus stepped past him and walked into her office.

"What's up, Olivia? Long time no see," Cyrus greeted and sat in the chair in front of her desk and crossed his legs.

"I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to call you back," she whispered into the phone and then hung up.

"Cyrus what are you doing here?"

"Well you haven't been returning my calls, so I decided to pop up and see if you remembered that you were still Ella's godmother because it seems that you've forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten. I've just been really busy."

"Ella is 1-year-old and you've only seen her once, hell - in the last year I've only seen you like twice."

"I'll come and visit Ella this Sunday."

"Why haven't you been returning my calls, Olivia?"

"I've been busy."

"Bullshit. I know you're still mad at him about the shooting."

"Cyrus, if this is why you came to talk to me then you should probably go."

Fitz was the last person she wanted to talk about.

"Calm down Liv. I actually came to invite you to your goddaughter's christening two weeks from now, Sunday. He'll be there, just a heads up."

"I won't be."

"Excuse me."

"You heard me Cy," she said flatly.

"You are coming."

"No, I'm not,"

"Liv, if you don't come to this christening I will never speak to you again."

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Just forget about the fact that he will be there and come for Ella, please… James will kill me if you don't come."

"Cyrus, I think you are overestimating my character. I am not coming, I don't care what you do," she said callously.

"Fine, I'll tell him that after almost one year apart, you are still lovesick and pining. I'll tell him that you look like shit and that your business is doing terribly since he left you."

"You wouldn't."

"I've been trying to be a better person but you just brought out the old Cy. He's a bitch, isn't he?"

Olivia relented.

"Email me the details."

"Thank you Liv, I already did, weeks ago. Wear white. James wants you in white," Cyrus said with a chuckle as he headed out the office.

Olivia was annoyed for the rest of the day until she got home.

"Hey Bonnie, sorry I'm late," she said as she walked through the door.

"It's alright Olivia. I fed them earlier and they just fell asleep."

"Damn it, I was hoping to catch them while they were up," Olivia chuckled.

Bonnie grabbed her purse and left while Olivia went to the kitchen to wash her hands. She went to the nursery to check on the girls and they were in fact, sound asleep so she headed back to the kitchen to make herself something quick to eat. The lessons Abby had been giving her were paying off slowly but surely. She realized that one of the main reasons she couldn't cook was because she didn't want to, once she got over that, it was rather easy for her. The ate and showered and sat in front of the couch with the baby monitor working on case files until the girls woke up later in the night. She fed and played with them for a few hours until they went back to bed, then so did she.

The days up until the christening were crazy for Olivia, between being overwhelmingly anxious and angry about seeing Fitz and realizing how tiring it was to be a working mom, her plate was full. On the morning of the christening when Abby came over to babysit, she changed her mind about going to the christening.

"Abby, I'm pretty sure I'm not going anymore. Sorry to have asked you to come over."

"I'm pretty sure I was coming here anyways so don't even sweat it but why aren't you going?"

"Because I can't think of anything worse than seeing him right now."

"Ehh I guess I'm can't blame you. Enough with you and your drama, how are my girls?" Abby asked.

"Good, they're just hanging out. I was playing with them and they were dying laughing you missed it," Olivia chuckled.

"Aww at least let me help you bathe them."

"Sure, let's go."

Cyrus had been calling Olivia for 2 hours straight and when she wouldn't pick up he decided to pay her a visit at her apartment to tell her off. It was only a half hour before the service was to begin and most of the guests had already arrived while Fitz was still on his way with Karen.

Cyrus banged on Olivia's door loudly. Olivia heard the banging and walked to the door and looked through the peephole and saw Cyrus. She really wasn't surprised that he showed up but she had Luna in her hand and debated whether or not she wanted him to know about them.

He banged the door again and screamed Olivia's name which caused Luna to cry at the loud harsh sound. Olivia flung the door open.

"Cyrus, was that really necessary?"

"Why the hell haven't you been answering my calls - you ditched Ella for a new baby. Whose baby is that?"

"Mine."

"What?"

"She's mine, actually I have two."

"Did you adopt kids? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't adopt any kids Cyrus, I got pregnant and I had babies."

"Woah, woah, woah. I didn't have any coffee this morning so please explain this again, slowly…"

Olivia took a deep breath.

"There's not much to explain. I had sex - obviously, I got pregnant and I gave birth to twins. This is Luna, Lana is in the nursery with Abby."

"I would have known if you were pregnant," he said more to himself than to her.

"Really? It's not like you came looking for me."

Cyrus ran his hand through his hair.

"Oh god. Fitz is gonna have a fit when he finds out you were knocked up by some other dude. "

Olivia was extremely annoyed by Cyrus' comment.

"First of all, he doesn't own my vagina so I'm not sure why he would be mad. Secondly, we're not together so I can get knocked up by whoever I want but as much as I wish he wasn't the father, he is."

Cyrus' mouth fell open.

"And you didn't tell him?"

"Nope."

"Oh god, this is a lot to process. Get ready, we're going to the christening. It starts in 20 minutes, so hurry," he said as he panted dramatically.

"Cyrus, I thought it was pretty clear that I didn't plan on going to the christening."

"It is clear but you are going because right now you're being very selfish and if you don't come you'd ruin Ella's christening. So get ready in 10 minutes. I'll hold the baby."

Cyrus stretched for Luna.

"Wash your hands first."

"You kill me, you know that," Cyrus walked briskly over to the kitchen and washed his hands and then took Luna from Olivia.

"Hurry Olivia please."

"Alright, Cy," She uttered in annoyance.

She hurried to her closet, she already had the dress steamed and shoes ready. Her hair had been blown out since yesterday, all she really needed to do was her makeup. Abby emerged from the nursery with Lana to meet Cyrus in the living room.

"Cyrus Beene? What are you doing here?"

"Hello -"

"Abby."

"Hello Abby - I'm here to take Olivia to my daughter's christening."

"Oh okay."

"That's Lana I take it or did she have triplets and I'm missing one."

"No, this is Lana."

It was awkwardly quiet as they waited for Olivia to get ready.

"I can't believe she did this," Cyrus said out loud.

"You're acting like it's the end of the world that she had babies, it's not like she's out there telling the world about them and dragging you guys through some scandal."

"I'm not mad that she had the babies. I'm mad that she didn't tell him. Now I know and if I don't tell him and he finds out I'm dead."

Abby shrugged, she didn't know what to say. Twenty minutes later Olivia emerged from her closet fully dressed in a white long sleeve Cushnie et Ochs fit and flare a-line dress with a pair of strappy Gianvito Rossi nude pumps and her waterfall Max Mara coat.

"I'm ready."

"Okay great. You look good. Let's go."

Cyrus handed Luna back to Olivia and she put her in her bouncer, kissed them both, grabbed her phone and followed Cyrus through the door.

"Hitch a ride with me," Cyrus suggested.

"I prefer to drive because I'm leaving right after the ceremony, I'm not staying for drinks and chit chat."

"You're really being a brat. I'll have in of my agent's drive in tow, I need to really talk to you about what's going on because this is serious Liv."

"Fine but have them put the car seats in the trunk," she reached into her purse and handed him the keys to her Mercedes.

"You heard her Daniel," Cyrus instructed.

Once they were in the car, Cyrus began.

"How did this happen?"

"Well, when two people have sex and they-"

"Don't be funny Olivia, seriously, how?"

"The night he came over about the whole tape mess we had sex. I wasn't on birth control so I took the morning after pill and it didn't work because I missed my period. When I found out I was pregnant, I hadn't seen him for weeks and when he finally did come to see me, he told me off about defiance. It's not like I was going to tell him that night anyways but after what he said to me I definitely didn't think bring kids into the mix was the best idea."

"What changed your mind?"

"I found out I was having twins, I was going to abort them. Believe me, I had the pill in my mouth but I just couldn't. So I decided to raise my girls and now here they are."

"They have his eyes, you know?"

"I know."

"Liv, why didn't you tell him?"

"I was going to but then I just got nervous, I didn't want him to reject them because of his hate for me. I procrastinated and did everything I could to stall and then he got shot and it changed everything for me. I was going to tell him but he wouldn't talk to me so I decided that if he could be that fucking cruel then I didn't want him in their lives."

"Liv, you have to tell him."

"Here we go. Look - I'm not telling him and neither are you okay, so whatever speech you're going to give me just save it and why do you even want him to know anyway, isn't it your job to protect his presidency and legacy, I don't think people are gonna be happy that he knocked up his ex-employee/mistress."

Cyrus sighed.

"You're being selfish. Do you really want your daughters to grow up without a father."

"How are you so sure he'll want them. I've heard him tell Mellie that he'd rather get shot in his balls than get her pregnant and that was his wife."

"Yea but he hates her."

"Hmm and he hates me too so what's to say he won't feel the same about my kids."

"You owe it to your daughters to at least try, if he doesn't want them then that's on him but I know him, he's not the kind of guy that would do that. I mean - Look at how great he is with Karen."

"Karen's different."

"How?" He asked.

"Well, she was planned and she was conceived with his wife. How about that?"

"I can't believe I'm in the middle of this. If he finds out that I know and didn't tell him, I'm fucked."

"Well, I guess now you know how I felt when you got me involved in the rigging."

"I guess I do…"

There arrived at the church in no time.

"Remember Cyrus in and out."

"Yes Liv, it'll be quick," he assured her.

"I'm actually excited to see Ella, she must be so big."

"Yeah James wanted a fat baby and he got one."

Olivia chuckled.

"The girls were born pretty small but I'm trying to fatten them up too."

She saw the presidential motorcade parked up and prepared herself.

When she walked into the church immediately James ran down the aisle to her.

"Where the hell have you been Liv? Gosh, I would kill you but I don't have the time," James grabbed her arm and pulled her hastily down the aisle.

"I love the dress, by the way, is that Cushnie et Ochs resort collection?"

"Yes, it is. Good eye," She chuckled.

Olivia was careful not to look for Fitz, she didn't want to find him in the room but Karen found her.

"Olivia?" She called out as she ran over to her. She gave Olivia a tight hug, which Olivia returned. As awkward as it was for Olivia considering everything that was going on with her and Fitz, she tried not to let it show.

"I've missed you, Olivia. I haven't seen you in forever."

"Me either Karen, I can't believe how big you are."

"Okay okay, we need to start the ceremony now, we are already behind thanks to Olivia."

"Sorry," she called out to James as he ran to get Ella.

"Don't worry about him, he's been crazy since last week," Cyrus murmured.

"I heard that Cy," James snapped.

"Sorry Hun," Cyrus called out.

Fitz saw Olivia from the moment she walked into the chapel. She looked amazing. Right off the bat, he could tell there were a few things different about her. He hated to admit it but the first thing he noticed were her breasts, they were bigger even though her body was the same size as before. He briefly thought that she might have gotten implants but that didn't seem like something Olivia would do. She was beautiful and radiant and she looked happier and he admittedly thought she would look. He saw her awkward interaction with a clueless Karen and he couldn't blame her after everything that happened.

Within a few minutes, the ceremony commenced. Olivia avoided looking at him at all while Fitz couldn't tear his eyes away from her. They stood opposite from each other, neither said a word, they just waited and followed the bishop's instructions. As the ceremony progress and they stood over the basin with Ella in their hands, she could feel Fitz's eyes on her but she didn't acknowledge it. It was a quick ceremony as Cyrus promised, as soon as it was over, Olivia was ready to bolt. She walked over to Cyrus before Fitz could get a chance to say anything.

"I'm ready to get out of here. Give me my keys."

"James wants you to stay for the toasts."

Fitz moved closer so he could eavesdrop.

"No, you said in and out remember?"

"Did I?"

"Give me my keys Cyrus. I'm really serious right now."

"Another half hour won't kill you, stay till the end of the toast and I'll give it to you," Cyrus chuckled.

"I'm glad you think this is funny," she snapped.

She stayed by Cyrus' side waiting for the toast to begin but then Abby called her, she stepped to the side to answer the phone.

"Hey Abbs, is everything alright?"

"Oh yea, everything is fine, they are sweethearts as usual. I was just wondering how it was going with you."

"Cyrus won't let me leave till they say the toasts. Listen, Abby, I think they're about to start I'll call you back."

"Okay bye."

Olivia hung up and went back beside Cyrus. James called everyone's attention with a ting on his champagne glass.

He began his toast in spectacular James fashion and the one by one, almost everyone shared a toast, even Karen. At the end of the toasting session, everyone gathered and began to socialize and Olivia knew that was her cue to go.

"Keys Cyrus. Now," she ordered.

"Fine," he reached in his and pulled out the keys and handed them to her. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"It was a beautiful ceremony. Ella has a gift coming in the mail."

"Thanks, Liv, your car is around back."

"Great thanks."

She gave James and then headed for the back exit. Although Fitz could no longer hear her conversation, he realized what she was doing and call Tom over to him.

"You know the plan," he ordered.

Tom nodded and spoke into his earpiece.

"Make sure Olivia Pope doesn't leave the premises."

"Copy."

"Copy"

"Copy"

The agents replied simultaneously.

Olivia walked swiftly down the hall but then she remembered that she left her jacket.

"Shit, my jacket."

She turned around and there Fitz was, standing behind her, with her jacket in his hand.

She was prepared for a confrontation with him but he didn't say anything he just walked up and handed her, her jacket and walked away.

She was perplexed as to why he just gave her the jacket and left but she tried to push it to the back of her mind. She threw her jacket on and continued making her way to the exit. She saw 2 agents at the door but didn't think much of it. She approached the door but they didn't move.

"Excuse me, guys, I need to get to my car."

"I'm sorry, we can't let you do that," one of the agents replied.

"How does getting to my car, affect you guys?" she asked curiously.

They didn't answer. She got annoyed and turned to go through the front entrance but they she saw Tom walking towards her.

"Tom, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry Ms. Pope, can you come with me."

"Are you escorting me to my car Tom?" she asked snarkily.

"Ms. Pope, please come with me."

"That's not happening."

"I have orders."

"I don't care what he ordered you to do, if you don't get out my way right now, I'm gonna make a scene or call the cops, whichever one will cause a bigger problem for you."

Tom snatched her phone and keys out of her hand so fast that she barely felt it.

"Will you come with me willingly?"

"Nope, get out of my way and give me my phone and keys now!"

He picked her up and threw her over his shoulders.

"I'm sorry Ms. Pope, I'm just following orders."

"Tom, put me down."

She screamed and hit his back but by the time she looked around she was outside and no one in the church could hear her. Tom tried to be as gentle as he could when he placed her in the back seat of the SUV, Fitz warned them not to physically harm her but also to do whatever it took to get her in the back of the car. Tom and one other agent sat on both her sides and two other agents got into the front seat and they took off.

She was so angry all she could do was tap her leg to calm herself. They had been driving for about a half hour when she finally calmed down enough to be able to talk to Tom without wanting to strangle him because she knew it really wasn't his fault.

"Can I have my phone back?"

"I'm sorry, you can't"

Olivia sighed.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To camp David."


	14. Chapter 14

Olivia slammed the car door as hard as she could and stormed into the cabin. She knew he wasn't there because she didn't see his cars parked anywhere. She sat on the couch with her arms folded, she honestly couldn't remember ever being so filled with rage to the point where she wanted to get violent. An hour passed before she heard the sound of cars outside and she knew it was him. She turned her back towards the entrance, she didn't want to see him when he walked in. She heard footsteps approaching then the door slid open. She could feel his presence in the room.

"Livie, I think it's time we talked."

She didn't reply, after everything that happened, she wasn't ready to speak with him.

He walked over to her and stood a few feet behind her.

"Livie, we need to talk."

He waited for her to respond but she didn't.

He reached out and touched her shoulder but she moved away.

"Don't touch me," her back was still facing him, "give me my car keys and my phone so I can leave."

"I can't let you leave."

She finally turned and faced him.

"I'm sorry, maybe I misheard but did you just say 'let me'?"

"No, not until you talk to me."

"So, just so we're both clear; you ignore me for almost a year and then when you're ready to talk you kidnap me in broad daylight and hold me hostage."

"Kidnapping you was a little extreme but you wouldn't have talked to me any other way."

"I have no plans to talk to you now, I just want you to give me my phone and keys so that I can go home."

"Not until you hear me out."

She ignored him and walked over to the door, Fitz followed her and stopped her.

"Look I get that you're upset but I just need you to talk to me. I know that dragging out my tantrum for a year was wrong and I'm sorry for that but don't act like you didn't do something wrong too."

She stopped in her tracks.

"I did something wrong for you, not for me, for you - you know what why am I even saying that, I didn't do anything. They made their plans and then they involved me so that if I found out and tried to say something, it would be my word against theirs but you didn't even care to ask how it happened."

"I don't care how it happened, you should have told me. You did something illegal and you're making me seem like some heartless monster for not condoning that."

Olivia took a deep breath to compose herself because she could feel temper become undone.

"I'm not asking you to condone it, I'm asking you to understand. Understand that I was put in an impossible situation that I didn't ask to be in and I made a choice. I didn't tell you because I wanted you to have plausible deniability."

"Oh please, don't act like you weren't banking on me becoming president like the rest of them. Don't act like you not a fraud like the rest of them, you sat with me and pretended to be surprised by the fact that I won when you knew they were gonna rig it the entire time. You never cared about me, you only cared about what you could get from me like everyone else around me."

"Fuck you."

"Fuck me?"

"Yea fuck you. There's nothing that you have ever done for me that I couldn't have done for myself. I've never wanted anything from you, I've never asked for anything and I don't expect anything. I don't even know why I'm arguing with you, I'm wasting my time. Just give me my keys so I can go."

"I'm not done talking to you!" Fitz yelled.

"After one year you think you can kidnap me and I'm suppose to be jumping at the bit to chat with you. No. This conversation is over. If you wanted to talk we could have done that months ago. Give me my keys and my phone, I don't have time for this."

"I left you for almost year and you left me for almost a year. We're even."

"So you did this to get back at me? I left you because I wanted you to be a better man you left me because you wanted to hurt me. You've never understood how much me and everyone else around you were willing to sacrifice for you because you are spoiled, you are selfish, you are inconsiderate and you are entitled. Our entire relationship has been about you and what you want and what you need and I used to be okay with that, but not anymore. Now this is the last time I'm going to ask you to give me my keys and my phone."

Fitz still stuck on what she said about him being selfish.

"You can have your keys back but I'm not sure how much good it will be considering that fact that your car is still in the church parking lot."

"I don't know what I saw in you," she murmured as she shook her head to herself.

"You saw 15 billion dollars, that's what you saw."

Olivia didn't reply and Fitz regretted it immediately.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it."

Her facial expression softened.

"Don't be sorry. You mean it. I'm just the gold digging whore, fuck me right? Besides it's nothing but what I've always expected from you."

"Expected from me?"

"That's right."

"Why do you expect that from me? I've never disrespected you Olivia, or our relationship. I divorced my wife for you, so don't act like I was just using you for sex."

"You didn't divorce Mellie for me. You divorced because you found out what she did?"

"I gave Mellie the divorce papers before she told me about the rigging. We could have gotten married and had kids, I just wish you'd told me."

"It doesn't matter, 'we're done,' when you first told me that I cried for days but our time apart has made me realize that you were right, it's for the best, find someone who makes you happy and move on, I'll try to do the same."

"Olivia-" he reached out to touch her but she backed away.

"Fitz, you got shot and you wouldn't talk to me, do you know what that did to me," she said as her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said softly.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"It doesn't matter, I don't even know why I brought that up just please give me my keys so I can go."

"Tom, has it."

She could see how sad he looked as she walked out the door but she tried hard not to let it be the reason she turned back and went to him. Instead she fixed her resolve in going home to her daughters and tried not to think about Fitz.

Olivia got home later in the night. She was emotionally drained.

"Olivia what the hell happened? Why did it take you so long to call me back?"

"Where are the girls?"

"Sleeping. What happened, you said he took you?"

"Yeah. He had his agents kidnap me and stranded me up at camp David."

Abby's mouth dropped open.

"What?"

"Yep. They didn't hurt me or anything."

Abby relaxed.

"Why did he do that?"

"He said he wanted to talk."

"How do you feel?"

"I'm so angry. I didn't realize how angry I was till I was standing in front of him. I thought I had gotten over him after having the girls but I think I was just so consumed by them that it drowned him out."

"So what did he want to talk about?"

"I think he started off wanting to apologize but then things got so heated that all that went away and we just argued until I got him to take me back to my car."

"So I take it you didn't tell him about them?"

"Nope. He briefly said he wanted to get married and have kids before the 'breakup' so I'm gonna take that as he changed his mind."

"You don't know that he changed his mind."

"Abby, I'm just a toy to him. I don't think he sees me as an actual human, he sees me as something to amuse him when he's bored or horny and when I can't do those things he loses interest. The first time in our relationship - and trust me I use that term very loosely - that I actually did something wrong and I wasn't a perfect problem solving machine he dumped me like yesterday's trash. He ignored me for almost a year and then when he wanted to see me kidnapped me and held me hostage. Thank god I'm not breastfeeding anymore or I really would have lost it."

"Liv-"

"That's how it's going to be between us. We're going to go back and forth with each other. He'll be fascinated with me for a time then he'll get bored and dump me and then he'll miss his plaything and come calling and I'm such a lovesick idiot that I'll go back but I have two daughters that I have to be a role model for. This thing between me and him is toxic and volatile and most of all unpredictable, I'm not going to have them caught in the middle."

"You know I think if you told him half of the things you told me then you guys probably wouldn't even be fighting."

"I'm sure we'd just find something else to fight about. He just - perplexes me sometimes. On one hand, he can be the sweet and passionate and kind and the funniest person you've ever met but he also has no tolerance for those who disappoint him and he has this thing where if you hurt him he tries to hurt you worse or if he anticipate that you'll hurt him he tries to hurt you first and I think that's what happening between us. We're playing this game of who can hurt the other the most."

Olivia paused and abruptly changed the subject.

"I'm gonna go see the girls, I'll be right back. Thanks for babysitting by the way."

"It's my job."

Olivia washed her hands and went to the nursery. She walked over to Lana and she was fast asleep in her crib then she walked over to Luna and she was laying quietly awake in her crib.

"Aww sugar plum, you're awake."

She picked her up and brought her hack to the living room.

"She was up?" Abby asked.

"Yea, she was just laying there," Olivia replied as she sat across from Abby with Luna leaning on her stomach.

"Can you tell them apart yet because I still have to use the bracelets."

"No, I can tell them apart without it. Luna's very calm and laid back and Lana is very energetic and always busy making noise, that's how I tell them apart."

"By their personalities?"

"Yep."

"You're such a mom," Abby teased.

3 weeks later - A week before christmas.

It was early Sunday morning when Olivia got a call from one of her clients about an emergency. Olivia was strict with her no work on the weekends policy. Weekends were solely dedicated to the girls, she had mommy and me class on saturdays and on Sundays, she loved spending the entire day at home.

She didn't want to call Bonnie, she had worked so much overtime because the cases had kept Olivia at the office late. She wanted her to enjoy her weekend off. She called her back up babysitter and she was unavailable. She needed her team with her to handle the case so she decided to call Cyrus, since he didn't work on Sunday and would be home.

"Cy, I sort of need a huge favor," she said through the phone.

"I don't work on Sundays Liv."

"I don't either but sometimes I have to make an exception but that isn't about work, I need you and James to babysit the girls for a few hours. It's really important and I wouldn't call you if I had another choice."

"What happened to your nanny?"

"Bonnie has been working literally day and night because I've been so busy with work, I can't call her on her day off, it's unfair and plus she goes to church so I'm sure she's there right now."

"You owe my one and I mean a big one Liv and when I ask for it you better pay up. By the way, I told James you used a donor to get pregnant so congratulations, I lied to my husband for you," he scolded.

"You are a lifesaver Cy, I'll be there soon."

"Alright Liv, I'll see yah."

She hung up.

"Okay girls, let's get your coats on. Lulu you first."

She quickly dressed Luna in her coat, hat and shoes. She noticed a small bruise on her hand but thought nothing of it. She knew Luna had the habit of chewing on her hands and feet. When she was finished with Luna, she grabbed Lana. Lana squirmed and wiggled as she readied her. At over 4 months, Lana was able to sit up with support from either Olivia holding her or her boppy pillow, Luna had a harder time sitting up but she was still on track, if anything the doctor said Lana was just a little more advanced.

She drove to Cyrus in 15 minutes, she became a pro at carrying two car seats and walked easily to the door. She rang the bell and waited. After about 30 seconds there was no answer.

"Come on Cy, it's cold out here," she yelled.

"Hold on, I'm coming."

He opened the door for her.

"Sorry, I had Ella."

"It's okay," she picked up the car seats and walked in.

"I still can't get used to you as a mom. It's so weird."

She rolled her eyes playfully.

"I fed them about an hour ago. Luna is pretty quiet she likes to observe so you can just lay her on her back but Lana likes to move so take her out the car seat and put her on her stomach so she can wiggle around or else she'll cry. Uhm - they have bottles in their bag and diapers and all the good stuff. I'll be back in a few hours. Thanks a lot Cy, tell James I said thanks too. Call me if anything. Okay?"

"Okay."

Olivia rushed out to meet with the team and her clients.

James came into the foyer.

"Where's Olivia?" he asked.

"You just missed her."

"Aww well I'll see her later. Are these her girls?"

"Yep."

"Oh wow. At least I finally get to meet them. Which one is Lana and which one is Luna?"

Cyrus scratched his temple.

"I have no idea but last week she told me she keeps a bracelet on them to tell the difference."

"Okay, let's get all these clothes off them so I can see them."

Cyrus took one car seat and James took the other. They undressed them down to their onesies and then spread a blanket on the carpet and laid them there.

"Olivia has pretty kids, I wonder who the donor is? Do you think she did it anonymously or she used someone she knew? I, personally don't know why she even used a donor. She's so pretty, I can't imagine her having a hard time finding a man."

"Oh my sweet husband who loves to gossip why don't you just ask Olivia these questions when she gets here?"

"Because they're personal questions, that would be weird," James chuckled.

Just as Olivia said, Lana scooted and squirmed and rolled while Luna was content to lay and chew on her toes. After about an hour Cyrus heard a knock on the door and thought it was odd that Olivia came back so soon.

"I didn't think Olivia would come back so soon," Cyrus said as she got up to answer the door.

"Oh no Cy, it's Fitzgerald. He called earlier and said he and Karen were coming over to see Ella."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Cyrus said in a panic.

"Calm down Cy, it's not a big deal. Go get the door, he's waiting."

There was a knock again.

"Listen to me, James. Olivia does not want anyone to know about her children so don't say anything. If he asks, tell him it's a friend mine, I'll do all the talking."

"Okay fine but I don't know why Olivia would want to hide them. They are gorgeous children."

"James do you understand?"

"Yea, Cy. now open the door," James snapped.

Cyrus ran to the door and opened it for Fitz and Karen.

"Fitz, I didn't know you were stopping by. Hey Karen."

"I called James, it must've slipped his mind."

"Hey uncle Cy," Karen said as she walked pass Cyrus to the foyer.

They both took their coats and shoes off and headed to the living room.

"Hi James," Karen greeted.

"Hi Karen, I told Ella you were coming and she got all excited."

Fitz walked into the living room behind Cyrus.

"Hey James."

He looked down on the carpet and saw Lana and Luna.

"Woah. Cyrus don't tell me you got more kids. You can barely manage Ella," He chuckled.

"No, we're babysitting for a friend of ours," Cyrus said quickly.

Fitz knelt down beside them and took a closer look.

"A friend of yours?"

"Yea, you don't know her."

"They're twins?"

"Yea."

"Well, what are their names?"

Cyrus was about to make up names but James interjected.

"Lana and Luna although I'm not sure who is Lana and who is Luna," James chuckled.

"But I think their mom keep gave them bracelets to tell them apart."

"Oh okay. Well I'm gonna hold one of them."

Fitz stretched for Luna, who was closest to him.

"No, I don't think that'sa good idea. Their mom doesn't really want anyone holding them." Cyrus objected.

"Well then it's a good thing she's not here., Fitz said as he held Luna in his arms.

A wide smile spread across Luna face causing her pacifier to fall.

"Look Cyrus, she likes me," Fitz chuckled.

Fitz picked up Luna's pacifier and gave it back to her. Lana who was still on the carpet began to fuss and Fitz picked her up too. He had them both in his lap as he made silly faces and played peek-a-boo and watched them giggle and smile. After a couple of minutes, Cyrus excused himself to the kitchen. He called Olivia as quickly as could and waited for her to answer.

"Cy, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Fitz is here!"

"What?" Olivia screamed over the phone.

"He's here. He just showed up."

Olivia began to panic.

"What is he doing?"

"He's playing with them."

"Oh my god. I'm gonna send Abby for them now."

"No, he's seen red before, send someone else."

"Okay, I'll send Stephen in the firm's car, he's never met him before."

"Quick!"

"Okay Cyrus!" Olivia snapped in frustration.

Cyrus went back to the living room and watched Karen, Fitz and Ella play with the twins. Luna fell asleep shortly after but Lana kept playing.

"You know Cy, they kind of remind me of Karen when she was younger except there was only one Karen," he chuckled.

"Hey...there is only one Karen daddy," Karen joked.

Fitz laughed.

"Of course sweetie. Only one."

"Can I hold her?' she asked.

"Is it okay if she does, Cy?"

"I don't think so," Cyrus said hesitantly.

"Don't be silly Cyrus. I'm sure it's fine if she holds her," James interjected.

"Yay," Karen squealed.

She sat beside Fitz on the ground and he placed Lana in her lap and showed her how to hold her.

"Daddy, her eyes are blue like yours."

"Both of their eyes are."

Within a half hour, Stephen was at Cyrus' front door. Cyrus was relieved when he heard the door knock, although it was unlikely, he felt like at any moment Fitz would realize they were his kids and freak out so the sooner he could get them away, the better.

Cyrus let Stephen in and walked back to the living room where Fitz was helping James dress the girls.

"Their dad is here," Cyrus announced.

Fitz helped strap Luna into her car seat, while James strapped Lana and then Cyrus brought them to Stephen. Out of curiosity Fitz made sure he snuck a peek of Stephen and then went back to the living room.

Christmas Day.

Olivia woke up early to prepare for the day. It was just her and the twins celebrating Christmas. Abby flew out to visit her family and so did Stephen and Harrison. She placed all the gifts under the tree for the twins from the night before. Gift buying was a little tricky for her, she wasn't sure if she was supposed to buy two of every gift or buy them individual gifts, so she played it by ear. She tidied up and made breakfast for herself before she went to wake up the girls.

"Good morning girls. Merry christmas, it's time to wake up."

Lana was easier to wake up, Luna got cranky and kept falling asleep on Olivia's shoulder. After she fed them, she brought them to the christmas tree and opened their gifts with them on the floor. She snapped a couple of pictures and videos of them and then fed and bathed them. The day was calm, she mostly laid on the floor and played with them. By afternoon, they all fell and sleep and in the evening Olivia made herself something quick to eat and fed them their dinner as she ate. They played until later in the night and then it was bedtime again.

It was few days after new years. The girls were 5 months old and although Lana was progressing more than Luna, the doctor assured her that sometimes one sibling is just a little more motivated than the other and it was completely normal. Abby came over earlier in the night to hang out and vent about her breakup with David. Olivia had Luna sleeping in her arms, Abby had Lana fast asleep in her arms as well. It was almost 9pm when they heard a knock on the door.

"Coming," Olivia called out.

She walked to the door and looked through the peephole and immediately went into panic mode.

"Uhm - just give me a second let me get dressed."

She quickly walked back to Abby.

"Fitz is here, bring Lana to the nursery now," she whispered and then headed to the nursery.

She put Luna in her crib.

"Abby, help me get rid of some of the baby stuff in the living room quickly just in case he tries to come in."

They hurried back to the living room and wrapped up some of the toys and grabbed the bouncers and brought them into the nursery.

Olivia heard another knock on the door.

She looked around, there were still traces of the girls in the living room but she had no plans of letting him in the apartment but she wanted to make sure that when she opened the door he wouldn't see a baby bouncer on the floor.

She opened the door and stepped outside in the hallway.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Do you have company? I can come back."

Abby snuck from out of the room and stood behind the door to eaves drop.

"I wish I had a guy in there, I'd be happy to rub it in your face but no it's just my best friend Abby."

He chuckled at her snarky comment.

"Does she know about us?"

"Yes, she does."

They were still for a moment.

"Are you going to tell me why you came here tonight?"

He sighed.

"I'm sorry for kidnapping you from the christening, it was selfish and wrong. I'm sorry for saying the things I said when I came over that night. I'm sorry for the whole tape thing. I'm sorry for taking one whole year before I had enough balls to come and speak to you. I'm sorry for not speaking to you when I got shot. It was cruel and I've regretted it. With all that being said, I'm not sorry that I met you, you're one of the best things that ever happened to me and honestly, a lot of good stuff has happened to me in my life, so think about how great you have to be to beat out all of that."

She covered her face to hide her smile. He clasped her hands in his so he could see her face. She had no idea what it was about Fitz, every time he got all heartfelt on her she swooned like a schoolgirl.

"The reason I came here tonight is because a couple of weeks ago I went to visit Cyrus. While I was there I met a pair of twins, they were two of the most beautiful little kids I'd ever seen and for some reason when I saw them the first thing I thought about was you and I haven't been able to stop thinking about you or them since. They should've been our kids Livie and I think that helped me realize that there is no way in hell that I'm giving up on us. I've been selfish and spoiled and I definitely don't deserve you but if you give me a chance I promise I'll do right by you. I'll be better."

She was in tears. After everything Fitz just said she had no idea how she was going to tell him about the girls without him being massively heartbroken. Every argument she made to convince herself that it was best to keep them away from him fell away into nothingness.

"Livie, I didn't mean to make you cry."

"No, it's just that, I was wrong too. I should have told you no matter what. I'm sorry."

He wiped away the lone tear that rolled down her cheek.

"You are sooo gonna get us caught in this hallway," Fitz chuckled.

"Would you rather listen to Abby's sardonic comments and giggles?"

"I guess you're right?"

He cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly at first. He relished in how much he felt at home when he was with her. Olivia wrapped her hands tightly around his waist and eagerly plunged her tongue into Fitz's mouth. They both lost themselves in the kiss until Tom cleared his throat bringing them both back to the present.

"Sir, AF1 is ready for flight."

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked as she tried to compose herself.

"One week tour of Israel, Turkey, Greece then India. Which of course is exactly how I want to spend my new year."

"Sounds like a lot of fun."

They stood in silence for a moment. There was something somber about her, Fitz couldn't figure out why she looked so sad. He thought that maybe she had doubts.

"Don't worry Olivia, I know we'll find a way to make this work. I love you, I know I haven't alway made you feel that way, but I do."

She nodded and smiled.

"I love you too."

Abby suddenly opened the door and popped her head out.

"Mr. President, I'm definitely voting for you in 2012. You've got game," Abby teased.

"Abby!" Olivia said completely embarrassed.

Abby chuckled and quickly closed the door.

"I'm sorry about her."

"Don't worry," he chuckled.

He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and then made his way to the elevator.

"I'll see you when I get back."

Olivia waited for him to leave and then went back to the apartment. She immediately went into full panic mode.

"Wow Liv, he's is not gonna be happy when he finds out you've been keeping them from him."

"I'm dead Abby. He is going to kill me when he finds out. Oh god-what was I thinking," Olivia said as she palmed her face, "you know Abby, I blame you, you should have told me it was a bad idea."

"I did."

"Well, I'm still gonna blame you."

"Well, when are you gonna tell him?"

"I have to tell him when he comes back. Oh god, I really messed up. He's never gonna trust me again."

"You don't know that. Just be honest with him about your feelings and your fears and why you did it and hope that he understands or at least accepts it."

"Okay yeah you're right…"

The next morning Olivia got ready for work as usual. She was distracted all day trying to gauge Fitz reaction and mentally prepare herself for the huge fight that was going to go down.

She barely made it through and unusually mundane day at work and got home on time which was the first in a while but she couldn't wait to get out of O.P.A. and go home to the girls. She knew that if in fact he couldn't get past what she did and they ended up not being together, he would definitely want some sort of custody and she wasn't in any way prepared to give him that. She wanted her girls with her at all times and she was going to enjoy that last few days of having them all to herself. She walk into the apartment to find Bonnie standing by the kitchen island with Luna.

"Evening Bon Bon. I'm on time today."

"Hey Olivia, how was your day at work today?"

"Terrible, how were the girls?"

"Good but I just wanted to show you something."

Olivia walked over to her.

"Sure. what's going on?"

"This morning when I was giving Lulu a bath, her skin was clear but about an hour ago, I saw this bruise on her back. She didn't fall or get hurt so I'm not sure how she got it. I've been watching her all day."

Olivia inspected the bruise on Luna's back, it was a black and blue patch, close to her spine.

"She got one like this in her hand a few weeks ago but it went away. I'm gonna call her doctor tomorrow and schedule an appointment because this is pretty weird. Lana doesn't get these."

"Yes, I think that's best."

Olivia washed her hands and took Luna. she could hear Lana in the living room cooing loudly.

"Okay, thanks Bon bon, I'll see you tomorrow."

Bonnie headed out shortly after.

"Oh pumpkin, can you tell mommy what's going on with you?" she asked Luna softly as she kissed her forehead. She took her jacket off and walked over to the play area where Lana was playing.

"Hey Lana, mommy's home," she walked over and kissed her on the stomach, which caused her to giggle and kick her feet in the air.

"Okay girls let's watch the Rolie polie olie, I know how much you guys love that."

Olivia sat with them for while and as they watched t.v. and played with anything in sight. After a few hours she prepared a bath for them. She stripped them down and brought them to the bathroom for bath time. She laid them both in their little tub and lathered them with bubble bath soap.

She washed their hair and sat at the side of the tub as they played.

"Okay sugar plums, it's time to dry of, who's first? Lana let's take you out first."

She wrapped Lana up and laid her on her lap and the wrapped Luna up and laid her on her lap as well. She brought them to the nursery and laid them on the changing table and grabbed two long sleeve onesies to dress them. She dressed Lana first and laid her in her crib and then she grabbed the onesie to dress Luna but then she noticed another bruise on her thigh.

"When did this get there? What the hell is going on?"

She inspected the bruise, it was small but very visible.

"I definitely have to take you to the doctor first thing tomorrow."

She finished dressing her and then brought them back to the high chairs to feed them. After she finished feeding them she put them to sleep and then went back to the living room to call Abby. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey Abby, What are you doing?"

"Baking, what's going on?"

"Luna keeps getting these weird bruises, she got a small one her hand a few weeks ago but it went away and then Bonnie show me one on her back that showed up today and just now, I gave her a bath and another one popped up."

"That's weird. Just random bruises."

"Their small but yeah, I'm gonna come in late tomorrow, I'm have to take her to the doctor first thing because I have no idea what's going on. I don't think they hurt though, I was inspecting it earlier and when I touched it, it didn't seem to bother her."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Olivia pondered for a moment.

"Uhm no, Bonnie's coming and honestly, she seems fine apart from the bruising. I mean she had been sleeping a lot but she's growing - that's normal right?"

"I mean yea, I think so?" Abby said hesitantly

"Well, I'll find out tomorrow. I'm gonna go shower, I'll call you tomorrow."

"Alright, talk to you later Liv."

She hung up and went to shower. After her shower, she grabbed some leftover from when Abby cooked and went to bed shortly after.

In the middle of the night she heard crying and coughing on the baby monitor and got up to see what was going on. She walked quickly to the nursery, they were both crying. Luna was coughing and crying so she walked over to her crib first. She froze for about three seconds before she kicked into mom mode. Luna was bleeding from her nose, but it wasn't just a regular nosebleed, it was an excessive amount of blood. She was coughing because the blood was running back into her nose since she was laying flat in the crib. She grabbed her up quickly and tapped on her back to help her with her breathing. She ran to her bedroom to get her phone and call 911. They answered immediately.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hello, my 5 month old baby is having a severe nosebleed. It's a lot of blood and she needs an ambulance right away. My address is 1499 Massachusetts Ave 20005 my apartment is 1012."

"Okay Ma'am we are sending someone right away."

She grabbed frozen peas from the freezer and wrapped it in a towel and placed it on her nose. She dressed them as quickly as she could, grabbed her purse and keys and ran down to the lobby to meet the ambulance.

After waiting for about couple minutes, when they didn't come she decided to the drive to the hospital instead. She strapped them in the car seat and drove as quickly as she could.

"It's okay baby, I'm gonna get you to the hospital. You're gonna be okay," she said nervously.

She didn't realize she was going over the speed limit until she heard a siren and the cop signalled for her to stop. She pulled over quickly and practically jumped out of the car.

"Officer, my daughter is really sick and I'm trying to get her to the hospital. The ambulance didn't come."

The officer was a young african american gentleman, mid thirties. He looked into the back of the car and saw the blood all over Luna's coat. Luna was lying limp in her carseat. She stopped crying and was just in a haze.

"Okay ma'am - let me escort you to the hospital."

He ran to his car and blared the siren as he drove in front of her clearing the path for her to get there as quickly as possible. When she pulled up in front of the hospital she practically jumped out of the car and unstrapped Luna from her car seat as quickly as possible. She ran around the other side to grab Lana but Officer Alexander stopped her.

"It's okay, I'll get her - just go."

She ran into the emergency room with a limp Luna in her hands a called for help. Immediately the emergency workers came running to her.


	15. Chapter 15

They took Luna and put her on a stretcher, the doctors allowed Olivia to follow them and asked her questions as they hurried down the hall.

"Okay mommy, how old is she?" the doctor asked as she checked her vitals.

"She turned 5 months a couple days ago," Olivia answered the questions as directly as possible.

"Did she hit her head or nose?"

"No. She didn't hit anything she was sleeping?"

"How long ago did she start bleeding?"

"I woke up about 15 minutes ago, I heard her crying over the baby monitor. It must have been shortly before that."

"Did she lose consciousness?"

"No but she lost a lot of blood. I put frozen peas on it - I -I don't know if that helped."

"Is she allergic to anything?"

"No. Not that I know of."

"Any vomiting?"

"No."

They arrived into the hospital room.

"Okay - "

"Olivia."

"Olivia we are going to have to cauterize her nose to stop the bleeding and give her a couple units."

The doctors began.

"Is she going to be okay."

"She lost a lot of blood and she's going to have a long night but she's going to be okay."

The doctor quickly took the onesie off and saw the bruise on her leg. She turned her around and saw the other bruise on her back along with a fresh bruise on her arm. Olivia saw the look of worry that washed over the doctor's face but then the doctor composed herself.

"Okay, we will need you to fill out some information for your daughter please Olivia."

A nurse came in and gave Olivia some paper work.

"Is everything okay?" she asked in a panic.

Olivia was nothing if not perceptive, she knew the doctor wasn't telling her everything.

"When did she get these bruises?" the doctor asked.

"They popped up today. The didn't get injured or anything, they just appeared."

"Has it happened before?"

The doctor asked questions as she work diligently to stop the bleeding.

"Yes, one a few weeks ago but it went away. I was going to take her to the doctor tomorrow."

"Doctor - is something going on? Please tell me?"

"Olivia please don't worry - fill out the paperwork so we can get as much information on her as possible so we can better take care of her."

She stood by as they treated her nose. First they put a cotton ball of lidocaine in her nose one at a time to numb her nose and hooked her up to a drip. She held on to Luna's tiny hands to give her comfort. She had no idea 'cauterize' meant to burn flesh to stop it from bleeding but that's what they did to the inside of her nose. It wasn't as messy as she expected. They used silver nitrate on a stick and once they cauterized her, the bleeding stopped. When the doctor was done with her and Luna fell asleep, she rushed out to the waiting room to take Lana from the officer. Under normal circumstances, she would never allow a stranger anywhere near them, police officer or not but tonight was different. She saw the officer sitting with Lana in his lap, she laid lazily, clinging on to her pacifier. She walked over to them and stretched for Lana who gladly came to her.

"Thanks you for looking after her Officer -"

"Alexander, but you can call me Wren."

"Wren, I'm Olivia, this is Lana."

"Hello. How is she doing?"

"She is sleeping. The doctors treated her and now I'm waiting for them to tell me what's going on."

"I'm very glad to hear that," he smiled kindly.

"Thank you for all your help Wren."

She walked of but he stopped her.

"Olivia -"

She stopped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his cards.

"Here's my card - just in case you ever need anything and I -uhm moved your car to the parking lot. Here is your key - I almost forgot to give it to you."

He stretched out his hand with his card and her keys.

"Thank you."

She turned and walked back to Luna's hospital room. She called Abby first. She had to try a few times before she picked up it was around 4 am.

"Abby?"

"Liv, what's going on? Do you know what time it is?" she asked sleepily.

"Abby, I had to take Luna to the emergency room. She had a really bad nosebleed that wouldn't stop bleeding."

"Wait, you are you now?" Abby's voice immediately became alert.

"I'm still at the George Washington University Hospital."

"Okay, I'm on my way now."

Olivia let out a deep breath.

"Okay."

She was still trying to process what was going on when the doctors came back in the room. The time this main doctor brought another doctor along with her.

"Hello, Olivia. I didn't get to formally introduce myself, I'm doctor Richardson and this is doctor Isaacs. I asked him to examine your daughter, is that alright?"

"Yes. Do you have any idea what's going on or are you still trying to figure it out?"

"We have an idea - we just want to be absolutely sure."

"Okay -so what's going on then?"

They didn't answer, instead Dr. Isaacs started asking her questions.

"Olivia, has Luna exhibited an strange behavior in the past weeks?"

"Strange?"

"Yea, strange - I'm sorry are they identical twins?"

"Yes, they are."

She saw a worried look on his face.

"Is there anything that Luna does that her sister doesn't do?"

Olivia took a few seconds to think.

"Uhm, Lana has been moving a lot more than Luna. She can sit up and Luna can't."

"Anything else?"

"Luna has been sleeping alot and also she has a few unexplained bruises that came up today and another one a few weeks ago."

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

The doctor's eyed each other, then Dr. Richardson began.

"We put a rush on the test results so we should have them in a few hours but what this appears to be is a posterior nosebleed caused by thrombocytopenia."

"Thrombocytopenia?"

"Severing bleeding and bruising due to lack of platelets. Platelets are what helps the blood to clot and stop bleeding."

"Uhm okay - so how do we fix that. Does she need to take a vitamin or something?"

"No - there are very few things that cause Thrombocytopenia."

"Like what?"

Dr. Isaacs interjected.

"We just want to be completely sure before we give you a diagnosis, it will take several more hours before we have conclusive evidence in the blood work to verify our diagnosis."

Dr. Isaacs examined Luna's bruises carefully.

"Her sister has never shown any of these symptoms, has she?"

"No. None."

"Okay. Once the rest of the results we'll come back we will come to see you right away."

"Okay. Thank you Doctors."

Olivia called Bonnie as she waited for Abby to arrive.

"Hello Olivia, is everything alright?" Bonnie sounded disoriented over the phone.

"No, I'm at the hospital with Luna, she had a really bad nosebleed and I took her to the emergency room."

"Okay which hospital are you at? I'm coming."

"No Bonnie, I you don't have to come, I know you're on personal time. I just wanted to let you know I'm not home so don't come to the apartment in the morning."

"Olivia. I'm coming. Where are you," Bonnie scolded.

"I'm at George Washington hospital."

"Alright, I'll call you when I get there."

"Okay."

Olivia felt terrible for calling Bonnie so early in the morning but she didn't know what else to do.

Abby arrived shortly after. They wouldn't let her in, so Olivia had to physically go get her from the waiting area.

"Liv, what's going on?"

"I woke up earlier to crying over the baby monitor so I went to go check on them. Luna was in a small puddle of blood from her nosebleed. I call the ambulance but they were taking too long so I jumped in my car and drove here. The doctor said she had thrombocytopenia, they are trying to figure out why. I'm sure they know why but they said they want to be sure."

"Oh god. Where is she now?"

"She's in the room."

Olivia walked her back to Luna's room. Lana had fallen asleep In her hand the minute the doctors walked in the room earlier.

When they got into the room. Abby walked over to Luna.

"Aww, you poor thing."

She gently caressed her leg and then walked over to sit beside Olivia.

"How do you feel?"

Olivia took a deep breath.

"I'm don't know how to feel. On one hand I'm freaking out but on the other hand I have to be calm for them."

Abby rubbed her back.

"It'll be fine. Okay."

Bonnie arrived shortly after. They waited for hours during which time, Abby had to run to the apartment for diapers and milk for them. They were all excited when Luna woke up. She was tired but she seemed all right.

It was around 8am when the doctors came back.

Olivia tried to ignore the sad look on their faces and focus on what they had to say.

"The reason, I asked Dr. Isaacs to help is because he is a hematologist. Luna's nosebleed was so severe because she didn't have enough platelet cells to stop the bleeding."

"Okay, you said that earlier."

"Yes, we ran a CBC test and she is severely lacking, platelets cells, white and red blood cells. She had about 50% of what a healthy person should have."

Olivia stopped asking questions, she didn't like where they were headed.

The doctor reached into her pocket and handed her a card.

"This is an great oncologist that works at a special children's hospital on the north side of the city. I think you should pay him a visit. To get an expert's opinion on how to move forward."

"Oncologist? What - cancer?" Olivia barely managed to say the words.

"Yes, I'm afraid Luna has Acute Myeloid Leukemia. After all the test we've run, that is the conclusive diagnosis. There are 8 subtypes of AML, a specialist will be able to properly identify which type she has a begin the best course of treatment for her."

Olivia zoned out.

"Are you sure doctor?" Abby asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, we've ran several tests and that is the conclusion."

The doctor turned her attention back to Olivia.

"Please take sometime to process this. I understand this must be very difficult news to hear but the survival rate for Aml is at 65% and rising. You should be able to take her home later today but I would advise you to see the specialist as soon as possible. I can give him a call and he could see you tomorrow."

"We would really appreciate that," Abby answered.

The doctors left after giving Luna a quick check up.

"Olivia, it's alright. She will get through this alright. Prayer can move mountains. Don't give up," Bonnie hugged Olivia tightly as she sobbed.

Olivia didn't particularly believe anything she was saying but if felt good to hear.

It took Olivia a few hours to calm down but once she did, she went into fight mode. She was going to do everything possible to help her daughter beat the leukemia. She called the doctor at around 11am to set up a consultation for tomorrow. Later that evening, they were discharged from the hospital. Abby went home with Olivia and Bonnie went to home by herself.

Abby realized Olivia hadn't eaten all day so she went to the kitchen to fix sandwiched as soon as they got home. Olivia sat with both the girls on the rug. Within a few minutes, Abby walked over with the sandwiches. She handed a plate to Olivia.

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten all day Liv and I'm pretty sure you won't sleep tonight so eat something please."

She took the sandwich and placed it on the floor beside her.

"Olivia it's going to be okay. I know this is tough news but let's wait to see what the doctor says before we freak out."

"How can I not freak out Abby. This is my baby we're talking about."

"I know Liv. Just try to stay positive and look at everyday as a new day. Tomorrow is a new day and depending on what the Doctor tells you, you'll know how to fight this."

Olivia wiped her eyes.

"I wish I could take her sickness away but I can't. I feel powerless to help her and I'm so scared that I'll lose her."

"Don't think like that. Just wait and hear what the doctor says, okay."

"Okay."

She gave them a warm bath, she was extra careful with Luna. She fed them and then put them to bed. She asked Abby to watch them while she showered quickly and within a few minutes she was back by their side. That night, she sat in the rocking chair in the nursery and watched them sleep the entire night. She was tempted to google anything she could find on Leukemia but she thought better of it, she needed to hear what the specialist had to say first. She sat quietly in the dark with her girls sleeping peacefully until she saw the morning light begin to peer through the curtains. She had scheduled the appointment for as early as possible which was 9 am, she had three hours of waiting and she wasn't looking forward to it because she was anxious already. The first thing she did was clean. She walked around the house and cleaned anything she could, checking on the girls ever couple of minutes, her paranoia over them had never been so bad. She washed Luna's bloody sheets and blanket and made their milk then she picked out their clothes for the day. When she found that there was nothing else to do, she started cleaning again. Abby heard the ruckus and woke up and walked out to the living room.

"Liv, what are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning, I just want everything to be disinfected, you know."

"It's 7 in the morning."

"I know, the appointment is coming up soon, I'm about to shower, you should too."

"Uhm, okay, let me make some breakfast."

Abby walked over to the kitchen.

"Did you sleep last night?"

"Yep, I slept like a baby," Olivia said sarcastically.

"Okay fine, I guess I deserved that."

"You didn't I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous," Abby walked over to the kitchen island and hugged her tightly.

"It's okay, I'm really nervous too so I can only imagine what you are feeling."

"I'm gonna shower really quickly can you watch the girls please, just check on them every couple of minutes."

"Okay, no problem, I'm gonna make some coffee for you when you get out okay."

"Thanks Abby."

Olivia rushed to the bathroom and showered quickly and then threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. She went to the nursery to wake the girls and readied them. Once they were dressed she carried them to their high chairs to feed them. Abby jumped into the shower as soon as Olivia had the girls. They worked together seamlessly and left the house by 8am. The drive to the hospital was 35 minutes long. It was a children's hospital with a special cancer research division. Olivia anguished over how inconvenient that 35 minutes drive would be in the future. They waited for 45 minutes before they were able to see the doctor and every minute that passed seemed like an hour.

"Dr. Porpentine is ready to see you."

Olivia took a deep breath and walked to office.

"Hello Dr. Porpentine."

"Hello, Olivia, Luna, Lana and -"

"Abby," Abby interjected.

The doctor smiled.

"Please, have a seat, you guys."

"I'm Dr. Maxwell Porpentine. I'm a specialized pediatric oncologist."

"Before we start can I ask you to be as honest with me as possible. Don't sugar coat anything."

Dr. Porpentine nodded.

"Firstly, are your daughters monozygotic twins?"

"Yes, they are. Does that matter?"

"Yes, it does. I'm sorry, they didn't tell me they were twins. That changes things."

"Why?"

"Well, they sent me the blood after they did the complete blood count test and it was abnormal. I rushed the tests as much as I could. Firstly, Luna's platelet count is about 75,000 cells per microliter. That is half of a healthy blood count which is anywhere from 150,000-400,000. Her white and red blood cell count is low as well. Her leukemia stems from a hereditary genetic disorder."

"Cancer is genetic?"

"No, it's more complicated than that. You daughter tests results show a mutation in the P53 gene."

"What is that?"

"The P53 gene stops the growth of abnormal cells. Cancer itself isn't inherited but the gene that allows the body to be susceptible to cancer can be passed down thus allowing cancer."

The doctor paused.

"Has anyone in your family suffered from leukemia?"

Olivia pondered for a moment. She couldn't think of anything in her side of the family but then again, she didn't know her side of the family very well. Then she thought about Fitz's side.

"Their father's mother died from leukemia years ago."

"You asked me earlier what does the fact they are twins matter; well since they are monozygotic they have identical deoxyribonucleic acid, I mean less than a fraction or a fraction of a percentage difference. The issue with 'inherited cancer' and I use that term loosely - is that with identical twins when one develops a cancer like… leukemia during infancy, the other twin almost always develops the same disease within the next year because genetically speaking the same thing is happening in both their bodies and even though they are perfect bone marrow transplant matches for each other we can't use their stem cells for a marrow transplant, the fact that the other twin is so susceptible to the disease is too risky in too many ways."

"So basically you're telling me not only does Luna have an inherited cancer but Lana will get it too."

"It's not definite and I hope it that is not the case but if it does happen I want you to be prepared and I also would like to check Lana's blood count to see if she has normal counts."

"What?"

"Just as a precaution."

Olivia zoned out again.

"What treatment plan do you recommend?" Abby asked.

"Okay, we are still waiting on the result of the subtype of leukemia but if it is the subtype of leukemia that I suspect she has then I would like to start treatment as soon as possible. Luckily we detected her disease early. We could start induction therapy in a week and then Chemo, based on her white blood cell, blasts and platelets count I suspect 1-2 rounds of chemotherapy and then we would definitely need a stem cell transplant. That is her best option. So it would help her out a lot if you have everyone close to her whether family or otherwise to begin getting tested to see if they are a match, we are running the donor database as we speak to find prospects. A non related donor has serious complications especially with infants, a lot of times their body rejects the transplant so the closer the donor is in relation, the better. If they have any other siblings, that would be ideal."

"They have a half sister."

"How old is she?"

"9."

The doctor looked disappointed. Olivia had heard enough bad news for one day so she didn't ask why.

The doctor sighed in frustration at the look on Olivia's face.

"I don't think I need to impress on you how rare it is to find cancer in children this young but there are other children like her who are fighting this disease, she can do it too. Don't lose hope and approach everyday as a new one and she will get through this."

"How many infants are diagnosed with Leukemia every year?"

"Roughly 150."

"And of the 150, what is the survival rate?"

"Less than 50%"

"Do you see where I might find it hard to be optimistic considering the fact that now my only other child might also have leukemia."

"This is hard, I know. I will do everything in my power to make sure you daughter has the best chance of going into complete remission but you have to help me by staying positive and not giving up on your daughter."

Olivia could feel the tears coming on but she fought them off and just nodded her head in response.

"I'd like to run some test on both girls then you will be free to go home. I just need all of her genetic information before we begin treatment."

"Yesterday when the doctors took blood from Luna, her arm bled a lot from the needle."

"I'm afraid that is very common with patients that have a low platelet count. Unfortunately after she begins induction therapy her white blood cell count will become even lower than it is right now and she will be very sick."

The doctor took them to the examination room. They were there for a couple of hours before they were finished all the testing.

"Come in tomorrow at 1pm. I should get all the test results sometime later and I'll analyze them so I can give you a more in-depth look at what we're dealing with okay. We can begin preparing her for treatment after that and within a less than week she can begin induction. The sooner the better, we just need all of her genetic information first. It's a good thing we caught this thing early."

"Thank you doctor."

"You're a very welcome - also we need you to fill out some paperwork, insurance information and all that jazz so we can begin prepping her for treatment."

"Okay."

The doctor followed them out. When Olivia finished all the paperwork she headed home. She didn't remember a worse time in her life. It was bad enough that she Luna was sick, now Lana could very well get sick as well.

That night after she put them to bed, she called Cyrus to get Fitz's number. Cyrus being the changed man he is, gave it to her without an issue. She didn't tell him about Luna's sickness instead she hoped that wherever Fitz was he could pick up the phone. She dialed the number and listened as it rang out. Just when she thought it was going to voicemail, he answered.

"Cy?"

"It's not Cyrus."

She sat on the rocking chair with Luna in her arms. The only time she would remain calm was when she had one of them in her arms. She depended on them to keep her sane and she was so afraid of Luna having a nosebleed again that she couldn't take her eyes off of her so she kept her in her arms and watched her sleep.

"Livie why do you sound like that? Are you alright?"

The tears rolled down her cheeks as she listened to his voice.

"No, I'm not alright," she cried softly over the phone.

"Livie are you hurt?"

"No - but I really need you to come home. Please Fitz."

"Why? What's going on," she could here the worry in his voice.

"I can't tell you over the phone. I just really need you here right now."

"Okay baby. I'm gonna cancel the rest of the trip. I'll be there as soon as I can."

The next day Olivia met with Dr. Porpentine. He informed her that Luna had a very rare type of Leukemia called Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia or type M3. The immature white blood cells accumulate in the marrow and cause a decrease in production of white blood cell, red blood cells and platelets. The remission rate was 80-90% and the long term survival rate was 77%, less so in infants but it was still good news for her, it gave her hope. The doctor explained to her a clear treatment plan, with what to expect and how to help with her treatment. He explained to her how brutal chemo could be and how sick Luna was going to get before she could get better. He also got the results for Lana's blood count and it was perfectly normal. After spending hours at the the hospital she left with Bonnie, Luna and Lana and a folder full of pamphlets on cancer. On her way home, she realized that she hadn't told Cyrus or the rest of her team what was going on. Once she got into her apartment, she called Cyrus. He answered on the first ring.

"Liv! What's up."

"I found out a couple days ago that Luna has leukemia."

"What!"

"I just left the hospital, I didn't mean to spring it on you, I just don't know how to say it."

"I can't believe it. I'm so sorry to hear that but you know you have to tell him right."

"I know Cyrus."

"Oh my god. His mom died from leukemia and he took that really hard. This is not good, on top of the fact that he going to find out about the girls, the leukemia will make it so much worse."

"Cyrus, I don't need you making this any harder than it already is," she snapped.

"Sorry...how is Luna doing?"

"She's been sleeping alot and keep gettings bruises because of the low platelet count, she starts treatment in a few days. It sort of all happened at once, you know."

"This is terrible."

"Cyrus I have to go." she hung up the phone abruptly not waiting for a response. For some reason everything he said was annoying her and she wasn't sure if she was being too sensitive or he was being insensitive.

She sent Bonnie home early so she could have sometime by herself before Fitz got there. She expected him to be there in a couple of hours.

Fitz had to stop at the White House to switch from marine one to a car. He couldn't very well show up at Olivia's apartment in a helicopter. As Tom was prepping the car for him, he saw Cyrus head towards him.

"Cy? What are you doing out here."

"Nothing I just wanted to see you before I left."

Fitz raised his eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I know you're going to Olivia's and I just want to tell you to hear her out and keep calm."

"Why are you telling me this. What's going on?"

"It's better for you to hear it from Olivia."

"She's not hurt right? At least answer that."

"No, she isn't, she's at home."

Fitz sighed relief.

"I'll come with you, if you want. She gave me a spare key a couple of weeks ago, we can bust in on her," Cyrus chuckled hoping to lighten the mood.

"Sure, why not?"

Fitz face went completely flat. Cyrus didn't want him to be completely blindsided by the news so he wanted to prepare him in some way without actually telling him, that was all Olivia's job even though he was sure Fitz would be angry that he didn't tell him when he found out.

They arrived at the apartment within a half hour and made their way up.

Olivia sat in the bathtub with Luna and Lana covered in soap. She tickled them and made funny noises to make them laugh. She was trying to enjoy the last few days of normalcy until Luna began treatment.

"Peek a boo."

And they erupted in laughter as if it was the funniest thing they had ever heard.

"Oh oh spaghetti O's," They laughed again.

She kissed them all over their faces and stomachs and the giggling continued.

Cyrus walked up to Olivia's apartment door and pulled out his key. She gave him a spare key a couple weeks ago when she was stuck at work and needed him to release Bonnie from work and watch the girls.

"Okay Fitz don't say anything stupid. Let her finish telling you everything before you react."

"You are not helping, you're just making me anxious Cyrus."

"Okay sorry."

He opened the door and let Fitz in and walked in behind him.

When Fitz walked in the living room light was off. The only thing he could see was a light down the hallway coming from a room. He could hear hear Olivia making silly noises and he could hear babies giggling. The laugh of the babies sounded familiar. He tried not to think or guess what was going on, he just waited.

Cyrus found the light and turned it on.

"I'll be right back."

Fitz looked around. He saw toys and a baby gym in the play area. He saw a framed picture of Olivia pregnant in the kitchen with flour on her face. He looked at the wall close to the door and saw a chart with Lana and Luna's names on it tracking weight and growth but it still didn't hit him until he saw a picture of Olivia with the twins he met at Cyrus' house a few weeks ago and then it all came together.

Cyrus walked into the bathroom.

"Liv."

She was surprised to see him and she almost covered herself but then didn't bother because she was sure Cyrus didn't care.

"Liv, I need to speak to you in the living room now."

"Why can't you speak to me in here?"

"Just come in the living room please."

"Okay, just let me dry them off. I'll be there in a sec. I've been calling Fitz but it hasn't been going through. Do you know if he landed yet?"

She draped the towel around both the girls and stepped out. She held them against her chest with on hand and pulled her robe on. She had become a master at handling both babies at once. Cyrus turned his face away as she pulled her robe on.

"That phone only works when he's out of the country but he landed a while ago. He's actually in the living room right now."

Her mouth fell open.

"He is?" she asked in a panic.

"Yes, hurry up and go talk to him. It's not fair to keep him in suspense like that although I'm sure he's halfway realized what's going on now."

She walked to the nursery and dressed the girls, she took a little longer than she usually would because she was so nervous to see Fitz.

Cyrus walked back out to Fitz. He was still staring at the picture.

"She's coming. I'm gonna head out."

"You knew this whole time?" his voice was dry and sad.

"No, I found out at the morning I went to her apartment to get her for Ella's christening."

"Why did you lie to me?"

"She asked me too..."

They could hear footstep approaching from the hallway.

"I'm gonna go. You guys need to talk."

Cyrus headed out the door quickly.

Olivia emerged from the hallway with Lana and Luna cuddled up in her arms. The sheer look of agony of his face broke her heart. She took a deep breath to compose herself and then walked over to him. She didn't know where to begin so she said the first thing that she could think of.

"Do you want to help me feed them?" she asked softly.

She saw a small smile cross his lips. It was sad and humorless but it was a smile nonetheless.

"I'd love too."

She leaned forward so he could take Lana from her arms and then he followed her to the kitchen. Fitz stood by as she prepared the bottles. He still was in shock, he didn't know what to say or do, he never thought Olivia would keep something like this away from him, he also wasn't sure how she was able to hide it for so long. When she finished making the bottles she handed him one and then she walked over to the coach and he followed her.

Lana spat out her pacifier in anticipation for the bottle which caused Fitz to chuckled. He kicked off his shoes and sat on the couch about two feet away from Olivia. Lana drank all of her milk easily, while Olivia had a harder time feeding Luna who only drank a few ounces then fell asleep.

Fitz burped Lana and rocked her to sleep as he kissed her forehead over and over again. She watched as Lana slept soundly on Fitz's chest and he looked down at her with adoration and curiosity. She wondered when he was going to start asking questions.

"Fitz we have to put them in their cribs for bed."

"No, I want her to sleep right here," he said it softly, so as not to wake the babies up.

"Okay."

They were quiet for a while again. Olivia knew the longer she waited to tell him, the worse it would be.

"Are you going to say anything?"

It took him a while to answer, as if he was really thinking about what he was saying.

"I don't know what to say Olivia. I met them a few weeks ago and I thought I was losing my mind for feeling a connection to kids that weren't mine and now you're telling me they are."

He paused and she saw his eyes well up with water for the second time that night.

"How could you do that to me? Why would you do that to them? They would've grown up thinking they had a father that didn't love or care about them. Why would you want that for them?"

"Of course that's not what I wanted."

"How did this happen? I thought you took the morning after pill."

"I did but it turns out that I was ovulating and you're sperm got to my egg before I even got to take the pill. It didn't work."

"Did you find out you were pregnant before or after our fight?"

"Before?"

"Is that why you didn't tell me? Because of the things I said?"

Olivia took a deep breath.

"At first I didn't tell you because I was trying to figure out what to do. If I was going to have the baby or not. The things you said were hurtful but I didn't think you actually meant them, not at first. I thought that maybe if I gave you some time then you would forgive me and I could tell you about the pregnancy. I waited. For one week, then two weeks and you didn't talk to me. Abby dragged me to do an ultrasound and that's when I found out I was having twins. I freaked out and I decided I was going to have an abortion. I went to the clinic, I had the pill in my mouth but I couldn't do it. I made up my mind that I was going to have them. I told myself I was going to tell you but every time I convinced myself to reach out, I got so afraid of being rejected that I didn't. I procrastinated and made excuses until I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing and then you got shot and all of that didn't make sense anymore and the thought of you dying and not knowing that they existed was so ...painful. I called Cyrus for two days straight at one point I thought that you died and he just wasn't telling me but then you woke up, that's why I wanted to talk to you. I was going to tell you but you wouldn't talk to me. I felt rejected and angry and I decided that I was never going to tell you because I didn't want you to reject them too. I stopped going to the office and worked from home until I gave birth at 35 weeks."

"35 weeks?"

"Apparently that's when most twins are born."

"When I took you to camp david, why didn't you tell me about them?"

"I was angry with you."

"What about when I met them at Cyrus' house. Who was the man that you got to come and pick them up?"

"Stephen, he's one of my oldest friends and he works for me at the firm."

"Cyrus said he was their father, is that what you told everyone?"

"No, I just asked Cyrus to say that to you because I didn't want you to be suspicious of them."

"And what about 4 nights ago when I stood out there and told you about them. Why didn't you tell me then?"

His voice was still soft and calm.

"I couldn't tell you. Not in that moment, I didn't know how to. I was going to tell you when you came back from your trip."

"You were crying on the phone when you asked me to come home early, why? Is it because you wanted to tell me about them?"

She couldn't hold back tears any longer, they flowed freely down her face.

"The night after you left, I put them to bed like I usually did and everything was normal. I heard crying on the baby monitor and I ran to go check on them, Lana was okay but Luna had a really bad nosebleed. She was covered in blood, all over her face and blanket. I took her to the emergency room and they had to cauterize the inside of her nose to stop the bleeding. They kept her overnight, they said she had thrombocytopenia, it means -"

"Not enough platelets," Fitz interjected. He knew those terms all too well, after all, his mother went through the same thing.

"They gave her a blood test and they say she has -"

Her voice hitched and she couldn't finish the sentence.

He pulled her tightly under his arm.

"You don't have to say it Livie, I know."

She sobbed uncontrollably as held onto her and kissed her forehead over and over again.

"Livie she'll get through this."

"That's not all," she said as she tried to calm herself.

"The doctor said that with identical twins when one twins gets leukemia within the first few months of life, the other twin almost always gets it too."

Fitz froze. He didn't know what to say other think. He couldn't bare the thought of losing either of them to the same disease he lost his mother to.

"Livie, we are going to fight this thing together okay. All of us. They're our girls and we're not gonna lose them - not to this."

He was trying to convince himself to believe the words as he was saying them.

They were both quiet, each consumed by their own thoughts.

"Fitz?"

"Yeah."

"I'm really sorry I had to tell you this way. I know it's a lot for you to process."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you told me."


	16. Chapter 16

Olivia fell asleep short after. It was the first time she'd slept since she found out about Luna's cancer, Fitz on the other hand, couldn't sleep. There was too much to think about but he didn't know what to think. He looked down at Olivia and his daughters, he still couldn't believe she kept them from his for so long. He wanted to feel angry but couldn't, all he felt was hurt; hurt that she thought that keeping them from him would be better for them. He partly blamed himself because if he spoken to her when he was at the hospital in Paris then he would've known and wouldn't have missed 5 months of his daughters lives. The fact that Luna had cancer was the ultimate blow because if she succumbed to the disease then he wasn't sure how he would forgive Olivia for keeping her away from his for 5 months of her life. He tried not to think about the cancer, he still didn't know all the details. He remembered how terribly sick his mother got and he dreaded seeing Luna that way. He dreaded seeing her tiny body hooked up to endless tubes and drips and the endless surgeries and procedures she would have to endure. He felt the sting of tears again in his eyes but he pushed them back. He knew the only way he was going to get through this was if he put his emotions on the back burner and focused on his family.

Before he knew it hours had passed. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't move all he could do was think. He and Olivia's relationship was once light, fun and happy. He remembered bantering back on forth with her as they did yoga in her hotel the night after they made love for the first time. He thought about the night she got drunk and how she flushed with embarrassment the next day when he brought it up. He remembered the first time he kissed her and how euphoric it was for him and the first time she flirted with him and ran off after she realized what she had done then he remembered the morning she left him in the oval after she resigned and how hard the months after that had been for him even though they will pale in contrast for what is to come. The sun began to peer through the windows and Olivia shuffled a few times before she sat up with Luna still cradled in her arms. Once Olivia sat up Luna's eyes fluttered open and once Luna was up, so was Lana.

"Morning, how are you feeling?" Olivia asked.

"Glad I have my girls with me," he said with a small smile.

"Uhm, well we don't have any appointments today. The doctor said they have everything they need from us. You can stay here and hang with them today if you want?"

Fitz turned Lana to face him.

"What do you say, do you guys want to hang out with me today?"

He tickled Lana's stomach and she laughed sleepily then he faced Luna who was in Olivia's lap.

"What about you? Do you want to hang with me?"

Luna smiled a lazy smile.

"I think they want me here."

Olivia nodded with a smile of her own.

"Okay, I'll call Bonnie and tell her not to come in today."

"Who's Bonnie?"

"My nanny."

Fitz pondered.

"Are you telling her not to come in because you want me to have private time with them or are you telling her not to come in because you don't want her to know that I'm their father?"

"Fitz-"

"It's okay, I was just asking."

"I just don't think now is a good time."

"No you're right, I was just asking."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, it's fine."

"Okay, let me call her."

Olivia went for her phone that was in her bedroom. She left Fitz with Lana on the couch and took Luna with her.

"So Lana, what are we going to do today? You're sister doesn't come from school till 5 but when she does we're going let her come over and meet you guys for the second time and this time, thankfully she'll know you are her sister."

Fitz stood up with Lana in his arms and walked down the hall to Olivia's bedroom. As he walked down the hall, the door to twins nursery was open so he went in. He took a minute to take in the room before. The walls were light lavender, so light it almost looked white. There was a white fur rug in the middle room, a comfy rocking chair and white furniture everywhere. The curtains were light pink and so were the canopies over the cribs. When Olivia finished speaking with Bonnie and headed back to the living room to Fitz but she stopped when she realized he was in the nursery. She saw him staring at the picture of her with her newly born twins cradled in her arms as she sat on the rocking chair that Abby took during her first week home.

"Fitz are you alright?"

He turned around.

"I was just looking around."

Olivia tried to think of ways to cheer him up. She knew they needed to have a conversation about the details of Lana's cancer soon.

"Okay, I was gonna start changing their diapers and stuff, wanna help?"

"Yea sure."

Fitz walked behind Olivia and followed her lead. She gave him a mini tour, showing him where she kept the girls things. She walked over to the changing table and began changing them both with Fitz's help. She waited a little while before feeding them because she wanted to keep them directly on schedule. Once she made their milk, she walked back over to the couch with Fitz. She handed him Lana's bottle and Lana spat of her pacifier in anticipation causing Fitz to chuckle. Luna didn't have an appetite but Olivia tried to give her as much as possible with some resistance from her.

After feeding the twins Olivia made coffee for Fitz and tea for herself. She hadn't had much of an appetite since Luna's hospitalization. He played with them for a few hours, whenever his attention wasn't on them, it was one one particular picture. She could see Fitz was still curious about the photo Abby took of her when she was flour on her face. She caught him staring at it more than once. He was so deep in thought as he stared that he didn't feel her beside him.

"Abby took that picture after one of our cooking lessons."

"It's a beautiful picture," he said with a small but sad smile.

Lana bounced back and forth in his arms, he could hear her coos and giggles through her pacifier.

"What's your plan?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's quite obvious that since you didn't want your own nanny to know that I'm their father that you have no intentions of letting anyone else know., his voice wasn't angry, it was sad.

"Fitz, with everything that's going on with Luna's cancer, I don't think media attention is exactly what we need right now."

"How will I be able to visit her when she starts treatment? I'll want to be there as often as I can, don't you think that will raise some questions?"

"You have a demanding job, as much as you'd like to you won't be able to be there everyday and also you being there everyday would draw too much attention."

She paused and tried to read his expression but he couldn't.

"Look, Harrison, Huck, Cyrus and Stephen will be there too and they are friends of mine, I'm sure people will think you are a friend too."

"And when I'm sitting with Lana or Luna in my arms and they notice the resemblance?"

"Conjecture. They can't prove it."

"So you want me to pretend they aren't my children?"

"If people knew it you-"

"Tell me about Luna's diagnosis," he said cutting her off.

Olivia took a deep breath. She could feel the tears waiting to escape so she walked back over to the couch, he followed.

"Dr. Porpentine; he's the doctor that will be treating her. He said she has acute myeloid leukemia, she has type m3. He said it used to survival rate of 20% but with all the new technology it's at 80 to 90-% now."

Olivia was blurting out information as it came to her.

"Uhm … he said she... will she got it from a hereditary gene called the P53 gene."

She paused not knowing whether or not to go on. She knew that he would find out eventually.

"Hereditary?" Fitz questioned.

"Uhm yea, he said the cancer isn't hereditary but the gene that allows the cancer to form is hereditary and because of the fact that the are identical twins Lana cannot be a donor and will likely get the cancer too."

"My mother had the same type of cancer, I gave her the gene? I gave her cancer?" he spoke more to himself than to Olivia.

"Fitz don't look at it that way."

She plead.

"I did, didn't I?"

Olivia didn't answer but the tears that cascaded down her cheeks spoke volumes. He stared down at Luna in her arms. She watched him lean over and kiss her forehead gently.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I did this to you."

"Fitz don't say that. You didn't do anything."

He got up and kissed Lana on her temple then placed her down on the play mat.

"I'll be back to help you put them to bed."

She got up and went after him, she managed to grab his arm before he completely went through the door as he slipped his coat and shoes on.

"Olivia, I'm fine, I promise," he said frantically trying to convince her of his lie.

She knew he was lying, that much she could tell but what she didn't know was what he was about to do. She remembered Mellie telling her that Fitz liked to be alone whenever he was struggling with something and she didn't know what else to do so she let him go.

Fitz headed to the elevator and once the doors shut he felt his chest tighten with the tonnage of grief he'd managed to experience in the last 12 hours.

He heaved as he waited for the elevator to open.

"Sir-" Tom said but then the doors opened.

Fitz walked out cooly and headed to the car. He pulled out his phone and called the one person who felt like he could pour his heart out to in that moment. The phone rang twice.

"Hello my brother from another mother, I thought you were suppose to be out-of-town."

"Richard Olivia had twins and their mine and I gave them cancer," he panted over the phone.

"Wait, slow down. What?"

"I found out last night."

"Found out what?"

"Olivia gave birth to twins-"

"Okay, stop talking, I'm gonna hop on the company jet, I'll be there in a couple hours. Don't touch any liquor."

Richard hung up and departed his office, he didn't know what Fitz meant by gave them cancer but Fitz was rarely ever at a loss for words so he knew it was dire. When Fitz got back to the white house, he headed to the residence and showered for what seemed like forever. When he got out, he threw on a navy sweater and grey sweat pants and headed to the office. As he walked down the corridor, everyone stared at him wide eyed, surprised at his casual appearance. He walked briskly to the oval and shut the door behind him as he walked over to his desk. He paced back and forth, breathing deeply and suppressing all the irrational thoughts that passed through his head. He was angry, firstly with himself for being the cause of his daughter's illness whether it was on purpose or not. Secondly, he couldn't bear to look at Olivia, after everything that happened and everything that will happen she was still trying to keep him away from them and it killed him. As she spoke to him earlier he could feel the rage build up inside of him, the dark rage that had found its way into his psyche since he first steppEd foot into black ops training. It was part of the reason why he practically dash out of the room. Everytime he got angry with her she ran or made him out to be a monster. The first time, he argued with her on the campaign over the Mellie fiasco she quit without so much as a second thought and the second time he got angry with her, she had his children and didn't tell him so he knew there was no more getting angry with her. He was sure that she was looking for a reason to keep them away from him because as much as he loved her, he knew she was inherently a fixer, it was in her nature. She would rather raise them without him because to her, it was easier, she could control everything. She wouldn't have to share them, she wouldn't have to worry about them being labeled the president's bastards which would lead to her subsequent label of being the president mistress. He knew Olivia was fiercely loyal and protective the only problem was that she was no longer loyal to him and when she was loyal to him, he didn't appreciate it now she was loyal to them and it wasn't so much a problem as it was chasm. He knew that in her heart she felt like growing them without him was best, he also knew that the only reason she told him was because emotional she was probably overwhelmed but once Luna beat the cancer, he was sure he was going to bolt and that would only happen over his dead body. As much as he loved Olivia, he didn't play when it came to his kids and Luna and Lana were his kids. There was no way he was going to let her take them. They had become a part of him, even before he knew they were his. He began thinking about the long run. In order for Olivia to stay, he would need to do things on her terms.

"Thomas?" Richard called snapping Fitz out of his thoughts as he stepped into the office.

Fitz embraced Richard, he needed it.

"What's going on, you look like you haven't slept in days. Start from the beginning."

Richard said as he sat on the couch.

Fitz exhaled as breath that seemed to have been stuck in his lung for the past 12 hours.

"I'm losing my mind that's what going on. After Olivia and I broke up, she found out she was pregnant or I think it was before but did she tell me, no."

Fitz paced back and forth as he vented angrily.

"She hid it from me, for months and then a couple days ago, she called me crying and told me to come home, so I did. She had twins Richard, the same twins I told you about a few weeks ago. They were my kids and I didn't even know it."

"What?" Richard choked out with his mouth hanging open.

"And as if I didn't already feel like shit, as if the world hadn't fucked me enough times in the past year, I thought finally, something good, I might be 5 months late but at least I get to have what I always wanted, a family with Olivia."

Fitz chuckled sardonically

"Luna has cancer."

"Oh my god."

"Yea and apparently she got it from me."

"Wait what?"

"I gave her the gene that made it possible for her to have cancer in the first place so the only thing I've given my kids is cancer."

Fitz had no stopped and began staring through the window.

Richard walked over to him and rested a hand in his shoulder.

"You didn't give them cancer. I know you, I know what you are repeating to yourself over and over in your head. Stop saying it Fitz. You love your kids, you cherish them , look at what you've been doing with Karen, she's happy man, you can do that with these two girls too. Don't beat yourself up over something you can't control, just be there for them that's what you can control. You can be at her bedside, in her hospital room everyday, holding her little hand and helping her through this, like you did with your mother. You can get her the best doctor and treatments money can buy and you can hope for the best," Richard said solemnly.

"Olivia doesn't want anyone knowing I'm their father. She's already planned in her head that I won't be there everyday so she'll pass me off as one of her friends." Fitz said with a sad smile while still staring through the window.

"You are not some coalworker on welfare in the middle of Texas who knocked her up because you didn't know how to use a condom. You are a fucking billionaire and the president of the greatest nation in the world. You let her know that she should be glad you're the father," Richard said angrily.

"So she can have another reason to say I'm an ass. She's waiting for me to fuck up. I don't believe she would have told me about them it she didn't find out about Luna's cancer and I think that when this is all over, she is going to want to have a reason to take them from me but I won't give her one."

"So you're gonna do what she says, when she say it then?"

"Do I have another choice?"

"Uh yea, tell her no."

"And that would lead to fighting and honestly, I don't wanna fight with her. I just want my daughter beat this thing and she will and all I can do now if be there for her like you said, right?"

"Right," Richard agreed, he couldn't bother to argue with Fitz about his failed logic because he was very stubborn and Richard knew it would be pointless.

"Thank you for dropping everything and flying out here," Fitz said as he embraced him.

"Hey, what are brothers for. I love you man and whenever you can sneak them away from Olivia make sure you let me see them. I might not be there biological uncle but I am as good as."

"You are their uncle, blood doesn't matter with us, never did."

Richard chuckled.

"How are you gonna tell Karen about this?"

"She comes home soon, I just hope she takes it well."

"Karen's a cool kid and plus you can do no wrong for her so I'm sure she'll be fine."

An hour and a half later Karen strutted in the oval after Renly, her guard told her that Fitz wanted to see her. She was clad in a red Annie wig and frumpy dress and converse hi tops all-stars. She had slight makeup on to match her Annie character.

"Hey dad," she greeted with a big smile.

"Hey uncle Richard."

"Hey Kare," they both greeted simultaneously.

She giggled.

Fitz smiled at her appearance, the first real smile since Olivia called him crying almost 2 days ago, he could always count on Karen to cheer him up.

"Kare, I take it you got the part."

"I did," she squealed and ran into his arms.

"I told you, you would get it didn't I?"

"You did daddy," she said as she hugged him tightly.

"Kare, I need to talk to you."

She let go and stepped back.

"Okay daddy, what's up?"

Olivia waited impatiently for Fitz to come back. She had forgotten to get his number so she couldn't call him. It was nearly 7pm when she heard a knock on the door. The girls were on the gym mats rolling around and chewing on their toes. She walked over to the door and checked the peephole and saw Fitz then opened the door.

To her surprise he was with Richard and Karen. She didn't know what to think she just robotically stepped to the side and let them in.

"Olivia!" Karen screamed excitedly.

"Can I see my baby sisters?" She asked timidly.

Olivia hugged her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Of course," She smiled.

Karen always knew how to break the ice and lighten up a room, it was a gift of hers and every time Olivia saw Karen she was reminded of what a great father Fitz was. He practically raised Karen on his own.

Karen kicked off her shoes and Olivia brought her to wash her hands so she could hold them.

Fitz watched her carefully, trying to detect if she was angry at him for bringing them, if she was, she did a great job of hiding it. After they took off their shoes and coats, he took Richard to the kitchen to wash their hands then they took a seat in the couch.

After Olivia coached Karen on how to play with them she went to join Richard and Fitz.

"Hi Richard, it's been a while."

She stuck out her hand for Richard to shake but instead he pulled her in for a hug. He did that more for Fitz than her, he knew how Fitz felt about her and the last thing he wanted to do was be rude to her no matter how much he didn't agree with her decisions.

"You're family now Liv," He said with a laugh.

She laughed awkwardly.

"Uhm do you want me to fix you guys something to eat?"

"Yea, I'm starving, he doesn't feed me," Richard joked.

Olivia smiled because Richard was exactly how she remembered him from a few years ago.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

She got up and headed to the kitchen. It took her about 25 minutes to prepare the food and when she was finished she placed them in a trays and walked back to the living room. She smiled at the scene in front of her. Fitz was on the floor with Luna, playing and Luna was enjoying his company quite a lot. Richard and Karen were on the carpet with Lana, Karen was trying to get Lana to crawl and Richard was coaching them both. She took a moment to take them in while they were unaware of her presence. She mostly focused on Fitz and Luna, she always wondered what he would be like with them but now that she actually saw them in action, everything that she had imagined paled in comparison, she loved how he looked at them adoringly, she could see the love he had for them in his eyes and that made her happy. It was times like this that made her feel silly for having any reservations towards him when it came to them but she kept having to remind herself that it was way more complicated than that.

"Hey everyone, foods ready," She announced.

Fitz had wondered earlier, what exactly she was going to prepare, the Olivia he knew couldn't cook.

She placed the tray on the coffee table. She placed all the sandwiches on the serving plate, she toasted sourdough bread and topped it with easyover eggs, tomatoes, cheese, slices of avocado, bacon and black pepper and made spicy chicken meatballs on the side. She went back to the kitchen and grabbed the peach ice tea she poured earlier.

Fitz looked at the tray surprised, Richard and Karen had already dug in. She came back with the ice teas on another tray and placed it down on the table.

"Woah Olivia, I thought Fitz said you couldn't cook?"

"I couldn't but I figured once the girls get older I can't just give them frozen dinners so I decided to learn."

"Well it's very good," Richard complimented.

"It really is yummy," Karen joined.

"Really? The meatballs aren't too spicy?"

"Nope, it has just the right amount of zing," Richard replied.

"Livie aren't you gonna eat something?" It was the first time Fitz spoke directly to her since he had arrived.

"No, I'm not hungry."

After they finished eating, Olivia took the plates to the kitchen and cleaned up. On her way back, there was a knock on the door, when she checked it was Abby.

She found it strange that Abby would knock since she had keys but regardless she let her in right away.

"Let me guess, the president is here. His guards wouldn't let me open the door with my key, they said I had to knock," Abby complained.

She kicked off her shoes and took off her coat.

"Hey Abbs, sorry I know it can kinda be annoying."

"Kind of?" Abby laughed it off.

"Anyways I came here to see my god babies but since their dad is hanging with them I'll just hang with you or do you want to be alone? I can come back tomorrow."

It was a little awkward to hear Abby refer to Fitz as their dad so casually.

"No, it's okay, Karen and Richard are here."

"Who's Richard?"

"Fitz's best friend."

"Oh okay," Abby said nonchalantly.

Abby followed Olivia back to the living room.

"Hi, Mr. president," she greeted then sat on the couch.

"Abby this is Karen, I'm not sure if you guys met before and this is Richard."

"Hi guys."

When Richard saw Abby he immediately got up and walked over to shake her hand.

"Hi, Abby, I'm Richard, it's a pleasure to meet you," He gave her hand a kiss and Abby blushed hard.

Fitz and Olivia glanced at each other quickly, sort of acknowledging what just happened.

They all sat and watched Karen and Fitz play with the twins. Abby mostly watched Richard and Richard watched Abby and Olivia watched them all. After a while Karen broke the silence.

"Olivia, is Luna gonna be alright, I know daddy said she's sick but she's gonna be alright, right?"

Olivia froze, she didn't know what to say.

"Uhm-"

"Yea sweetie, we're gonna give her the best care we can and she'll be fine," Fitz interjected.

"Okay good because I don't want her to die, my friends brother had cancer and he died."

It got really quiet, Karen stopped and grunted.

"I'm sorry daddy, sometimes I say things without thinking about it."

Fitz cleared his throat.

"No, it's okay sweetie, it's always good to speak your mind," he smiled so Karen wouldn't think he was upset.

Olivia's mind had long drifted into darkness, imagining different scenarios where Luna was no longer with them.

"Liv?" Karen called

She didn't answer.

"Liv, I'm sorry," Karen walked over and touched her arm and with that Olivia snapped out of her trance.

"Huh."

"I said I'm sorry."

"No Kare, it's okay," she gave her a hug and Karen smiled widely and went back to play with Lana.

"You okay?" Fitz mouthed to her once Karen wasn't looking.

She nodded with a small smile.

It was getting late and Fitz had to take Karen back to the White House.

"Kare, tell the girls bye, you have to get some sleep for school tomorrow, it's already way past your bedtime."

"Daddy 5 more minutes please."

At this point Lana and Luna had long been put to bed, Karen was no enjoying the company of Richard and Abby, laughing and joking about mundane things. The mostly flirted with each other but Karen was oblivious to it.

"Abby, it's getting late, I'd love to walk you home if you'd like."

When Abby mentioned she lived only a few blocks away, Richard made a mental not to use that as an opportunity to get her alone.

"That's very kind, thank you - I think I'll be heading out now."

Richard smiled and got up to go grab his coat, Abby walked behind him and turned around and gave Olivia a thumbs up. Fitz saw it from the corner of his eye and chuckled. Within a few minutes, Abby and Richard were gone and a few minutes after that, Fitz and Karen were heading out as well.

"Are you gonna be okay here by yourself, I can put Karen to bed and come back."

"It's okay. I'll be fine here."

"Okay Livie."

With that he left.

Olivia went over to the twins little play area by the window and tidied up. She tried to push what Karen said to the back of her mind but she couldn't. As innocent as it was, it really hurt her because she knew there was a very real chance that Luna may not make it, as much as she told herself that wouldn't happen the fixer in her tried to be realistic about the but the mom in her couldn't. When she finished cleaning up she sat on the couch, consumed by her thoughts and before she knew it her eyes burned with tears and they fell. She didn't know what time it was when there was a knock on the door, she wasn't sure exactly how long she'd been on the couch crying but she got up and looked through the peephole. She used her sleeve to dry her tears and then opened the door and he stepped in.

It was quiet and they just stared at each other and before she knew it he pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried her eyes out.

"I can't lose her. I can lose my baby Fitz," She sobbed.

"Look at me livie. You won't okay, you won't. Don't think like that."

He held her so he could look her in the eye as he spoke. He hated it when she cried and all he wanted to do was make her pain go away.

She nodded but the tears still flowed, so much so that seeing her like that made Fitz eyes well up.

He kissed her forehead and held her tightly until he felt her relax and realized she was asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

It was the day before the first day of Luna's treatment. Olivia arrived at the hospital hours early, she hadn't slept the entire night. She packed everything she could think of that Luna might need, she also packed for Lana and herself. She found a hotel a couple blocks away for that she had planned to use as a place for showers because a couple blocks away is a far away as she felt like she could be from Luna. Fitz called in some renowned cancer specialist to take a look at Luna, he would be arriving later in the day but for now, they were making final preparations to start Luna's induction therapy in the morning.

Olivia followed all of the doctor's instruction carefully in the days leading up to Luna's admission to the hospital.

They started by doing all the mandatory procedures like taking her vitals, height, weight, complete blood count and other tests. After all the test, they took her to the surgery room to insert the Hickman catheter in the subclavian vein in her upper chest. Seeing the tube protruding from Luna's chest was hard for Olivia to see, harder than she expected but she held on to her tiny hand all throughout the process.

After the insertion, they performed an X-ray to make sure the tube was inserted into the correct vein and when it was, they brought her back to her hospital room to rest. Fitz stayed with her the entire time and as much as she tried to get him to leave, she was glad he wouldn't. Abby, Cyrus and Huck were there as well, so she just made sure they were all in the same room together all the time as a precaution. To say the staff was shocked to see Fitz might be the understatement of the century.

Fitz being there had its complications, firstly they had to get a special secluded suite, secondly, all the workers that had to interact with Luna had to sign an NDA just to be safe. In the evening when she specialist came to see Luna, he pretty much said the same thing Dr. Porpentine said, in the end he would act as a consultant to Dr. Porpentine throughout Luna's treatment.

After a long day of running around the hospital, Olivia was emotionally and physically tired. FItz went home in the night to be with Karen, he planned to come back early in the morning to be there when Luna officially started her first day of chemo. Olivia stayed at the hospital overnight and Abby took Lana home.

* * *

 **Luna's first day of treatment.**

 **Saturday.**

Fitz arrived at the hospital before dawn. When he walked in the room Olivia was sleeping on the chair by Luna's bedside. He didn't want to wake her, so he sat quietly on the couch and went over his briefings. He had his agent pick up breakfast for everyone because he was sure, Abby would be coming by with Lana as well as the other members of her team.

After about an hour, Olivia was up. He saw her rubbing her neck.

"Yea sleeping sitting up isn't exactly great for you neck."

She turned around a little surprised that he was there so early.

"Fitz, I didn't know you would be here so early."

"Yea, I couldn't really sleep and I also wanted to be here when you guys woke up. I bought breakfast if you're hungry."

"I'm not really hungry."

"Livie please, you have to eat something."

"I just don't have an appetite, I'm not hungry."

"Okay."

Fitz decided not to push her.

"How did she sleep?" he asked, changing the conversation.

"She slept like a baby," Olivia smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

She got up and gave Luna a tender kiss on the forehead.

"You know, when they were born, they didn't open their eyes right away. I had to wait and I remember being so nervous because I dreaded them having your eyes. I thought that maybe if they didn't it would be easier but then they opened them and they were sparkling blue just like yours. I felt the exact opposite of how I thought I would feel, I don't know, I guess I was sort of relieved because I thought well, if I can't have you, at least I'll have them, I'd see you every time I looked at them and that wasn't so bad. I thought they'd have your hair color to but somehow, they have this brownish blonde color and I can't figure out where they got it from."

"My mom," Fitz said softly.

"Well, there you go," she chuckled.

Fitz sighed, he had the urge to apologize but he felt like in that moment it wouldn't have helped.

"What do you need me to do?"

She turned around to face him.

"I need you to be careful. I know it hurts but you can't be here everyday, you can't be overly affectionate to them when strangers are around and you can't give anyone any reason to speculate that you are their father. With everything that's going on the last thing I need is for hospital workers to be sneaking and taking photos of the president's bastard's and an army of press outside creating chaos and people sending me and my children death threats because of you. I want you to be their father but-"

Olivia's calling the girls her children was not lost on Fitz and if nothing else, it hurt him but he knew that whatever quarrels he had with Olivia and her decision, now was not the time to voice them.

"but just on your terms."

"I don't see it that way.."

A few seconds later Luna woke up, she was still drowsy from the medication they gave her the day before but she was alright.

"Hey Lulu, are you up sweet girl ?"

Luna was clad in a diaper only on the bed. She yawned and the pacifier fell out of her mouth. Olivia put it back in. Luna was obsessed with her pacifier and preferred it to actually eating.

"Look who's here?"

Olivia motioned to Fitz, who walked over quickly.

"Hi Luna, how's it going sweetie."

He kissed her hand and he could feel her squeeze his finger and it made the biggest smile burst across his face.

He kissed her forehead and as Olivia watched them interact she realized that keeping their secret was going to be harder than she thought. Of course the doctor would know, she wasn't worried about that because on top of doctor patient confidentiality law, he signed a Nondisclosure. She was worried about anyone else that saw something and wanted to make a quick buck. She watched him as he kissed Luna and spoke playfully to her. The way he looked at her was not the way a friend would look at another friend's baby so the friend story wasn't going to work with anyone who was close enough to see him with them. He was oozing fatherhood, he had the protective aura about him, it couldn't be hidden, not around his children and not around her. She remembered when they first made love, after that she always found herself scolding him for staring at her and making it obvious that they were intimate, half of her thought he was doing it on purpose but now she realized that that was just him. His feelings were apart of him, he couldn't hide it, that's why it was so obvious to everyone that he and Mellie were having issues. He couldn't fake it, not on his own, she realized the only reason he got good at it was probably because he was doing it for her.

Fitz loved her wildly and recklessly and he didn't care that it consumed him, he didn't care that it put him at risk to lose everything that he's ever worked for. She never realized or appreciated that until that very moment when she saw him playing with Luna.

"Fitz, I changed my mind."

He snapped his head up.

"Did I do something?" He asked innocently.

"No, you're perfect. I just, I don't want you to miss anything, you know, so I think you should be able to come and go as you please but still just please be careful. They are your girls, you know that, I know that and all the people who matter to us know that and for know, that will have to do for now."

"It is enough for me," he chuckled.

After a few hours, Abby arrived with Richard and Lana.

"Good morning guys. It's a good day and were gonna be positive."

Olivia raised her eyebrow because Abby's tone was unusually perky.

"You're in a good mood Abbs."

"Well it's a good day, Lulu's first day of treatment, she's gonna be a gladiator and kick chemo's ass and everything's gonna be good."

Olivia walked over and took Lana out of Abby's arms.

"How was she?" Olivia asked.

"She was great, she slept great and drank more than a bottle this morning, girl can eat," Abby chuckled.

"She did! She's been eating a lot, I can tell that she's gaining weight."

Richard greeted Fitz and they all hung out and waited for the doctor to arrive. A short time later, Dr. Porpentine arrived with two other nurses.

"Good morning everyone - Mr. President, you are here! It's great to see you again."

The doctor briskly walked over and shook Fitz's hand a little too long.

Once he let go he greeted Olivia and then walked over to Luna.

"Hello there Luna, today is the day huh sweetie. You're gonna be a good girl and be strong for mommy."

He inspected her briefly and then walked back over to Olivia.

"Olivia can I speak with you in my office."

"Sure."

She got up and motioned for Fitz to follow her. His office was in the same hospital wing and only a few suites down the hall as Luna. Once they arrived, Olivia asked for privacy so Dr, porpentine asked the nurses to leave.

"Okay so I've monitoring Luna's behavior and because of her lack of appetite once her treatment starts she is only going to lose more weight so I'm going to give her a feeding tube. It's the only to keep her at a healthy weight because she won't want to eat on her own."

"Are you sure you have to do that?" Olivia asked.

"Positive. I doesn't hurt and she can still drink from the bottle if she'd like it's just a way to get more nutrients in her body because she will need it."

"Okay," Olivia said sadly.

"That brings me to the second issue. If her treatment is successful, we will need a stem cell transplant. We have unrelated donor matches but as I had mentioned before, bone marrow from a related donor isn't ideal for infants. The procedure is risky enough as it is and completely foreign tissue in their body can set of a horrible rejection process that unfortunately is really hard to come back from if it does happen, so I would like to start testing all eligible willing donors, as soon as possible. I will give you the list of criterias that need to be met."

Fitz looked at Olivia.

"Doctor, I need to tell you something and I hope you will hold my confidence with the information that I'm about to make you privy to."

The doctor nodded.

"Luna's biological father is the president and I'm sure he'd like to also be tested to see if he's a match."

His mouth fell open slight but then he caught himself and returned to his usual professional demeanor.

"Absolutely, we will add him to the pool and don't worry, I will keep your confidence. In addition to the non-disclosure I signed, I am a doctor you know, it would be unethical," He said with a chuckle to lighten the mood.

"Thank you doctor," Fitz responded.

"No worries Mr. president. Also I scheduled her chemo for 12 noon, so you have about an hour but the nurses will begin setting up the instrument s and medicines. The main drug we will be administering will be cytarabine along with two others. As I said before, expect vomiting and drowsiness. The chemo today will last for several hours and after we've finished her treatment, she will rest for one week and then we will continue on that schedule. After the first cycle I will give her a bone marrow biopsy and based on that reading we will determine how well she's responding to treatment and if we should move forward as planned."

They both nodded.

"Okay thank you doctor."

They went back to the suite and waited for treatment to begin. They stayed by Luna's side. Olivia whispered words of comfort in her ear she she kissed her all over. She was sure she couldn't understand them but it felt good to say it to her.

She watched as the nurses set up their instruments and got everything in order. Then when Dr. Porpentine came back she knew it was time.

He could see the worry on Olivia's face.

"Don't worry mommy, it's gonna be alright."

He hooked up the chemo drugs to Luna's catheter. She fussed at first then after a while she calmed down.

Olivia and Fitz watched her keenly, Fitz knew how fast things could go south so he mentally prepared himself.

The first couple hours were fine but then Luna began to get clammy and pale and began to fuss.

"Fitz, does she look okay to you, you know, it this normal?"

"Unfortunately yes, she'll probably throw up pretty soon then she'll feel better."

In half hour just as Fitz said, she threw up. Once she was able to throw up she stopped fussing as much. Olivia gave her, her pacifier and she was quiet again. The nurses stayed in the room, monitoring her and after the first hour, the doctor came in 20 minute intervals to check on her.

Abby and richard, took Lana for a walk hours ago and never came back. Olivia knew Abby did it on purpose so she could focus on Luna.

The hours dragged on until Luna finished treatment. When Dr. porpentine came back for his final visit of the day, he examined Luna, who had thrown up small amounts a couple more times and then fell asleep.

"Have you decided if you want to shave her head as yet?" he asked.

The nurses had all left, Abby and Richard called to let them know that they had gone back to her apartment.

"What do you think Fitz?"

"I think you should."

"Okay, we'll shave it."

"Alright, I'll have a nurse to the honors tomorrow. So now we begin one week rest, we'll be observing her all week and watching her behavior and symptoms. I think she did pretty good today though."

He said his goodbye and then headed out.

* * *

During that week Luna had all the regular symptoms the doctor said she would, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. They shaved her head which was a little difficult because Luna fussed and cried so much. Luna was never a fussy baby but in the past week, there was non stop crying and the only time she wasn't crying was when she was asleep. Olivia didn't blame her, she couldn't imagine how uncomfortable she must feel.

Fitz was there every evening and stayed the night then worked the next day and continued that routine throughout. Sometimes, he would have Karen stop by for a few hours.

All throughout the week the doctor also have both Olivia and Fitz HLA blood tests to see if there were a match for the stem cell transplant. Karen found out and insisted on taking the test as well and they allowed her just for good had been waiting on the result for days. They doctor said three days but four days had passed. She was nervous, she really wanted to be a match. The doctor explain what would happen if they used an unrelated donor and Luna's body rejected transplant and it wasn't pretty.

It was the day of Luna's 2nd chemo session. It was a hard week for Luna, she didn't expect for the after effects to be so bad. She was really weak and slept for very long periods of time to the point where Olivia would get nervous and wake her just to see if she was alright.

Doctor Porpentine came early to set up the medicine, when he made no mention of the test results she decided to ask.

"Doctor, did you get the test results yet?"

Fitz, who was playing with Lana stopped to hear the doctor's response.

"Actually I did, I was waiting to compile a list of all the possible donor we found through the database as well."

Olivia didn't like the sound of that.

He didn't want to discuss the results in front of Abby and Huck.

"Okay, here, why don't we chat in my office."

Olivia and Fitz headed to the doctor's office and took a seat. He entered the room, shortly after.

He sat down and took a deep breath before beginning.

"Unfortunately, neither of you are matches."

Immediately tears sprung out of Olivia's eyes, Fitz held onto her hands tightly.

"But Karen is a match."

"What?" Fitz asked, he couldn't hide his shock, he hadn't considered Karen to be a match.

"A perfect match actually, 8 out of 8 antigens."

Olivia wiped her eyes.

"What does that mean for us, didn't you say people under 18 can't donate?"

"They can't donate to strangers or through a database but they can donate to siblings. With the consent of whoever has legal custody over them."

"And shared custody?" Fitz asked.

"We would need consent of both parents."

Fitz sighed.

"We found a few matches in the system but none as optimal as Karen. She seems eager but she might not be so eager when she knows what the process entails. Talk with her and inform her an the details of the procedure. Discuss it as a family and then let me know your decision."

"What if Karen can't do the procedure?" Olivia asked.

"The only way we can fully flush the cancer out of her body is with the transplant, without it, it's likely that the cancer would come back within a few months. If you use a donor from the system - let's just put it this way, I wouldn't want to use someone from the system. Karen is your best chance for Luna."

The doctor was paged over the intercom and excused himself and left them in the office together.

"Livie talk to me. What are you thinking?"

She sniffled and wiped her eyes again. She was looking down at her lap, Fitz still held on to her hands.

"What if she doesn't want to it?"

"She will, I know Karen, she will. If I ask her to."

She looked up at him.

"Mellie won't let her do it."

"Let me worry about Mellie okay."

He kissed her hand.

"Come on Livie, Luna starts chemo soon, let's go check on our baby."

* * *

Later in the evening, Fitz had one of his agents drop Karen at the hospital after she finished drama practice. She ran into the hospital room with her usual high energy. After she greeted everyone she gave Luna a kiss and then immediately started playing with Lana. She didn't linger around Luna, She looked so fragile that Karen barely touched her, Lana on the other hand was an entirely different story.

"Karen can Olivia and I speak to you."

"Sure dad, what's up."

She was barely giving them her attention, she was so busy blowing bubbles into Lana's stomach.

"Do you remember when they took your blood to test it to see if you could use it to help Luna get better?"

"Yeah daddy, I remember."

"Well they got the results back and you're the only one that can help Luna, you are the only match."

"That's good right?"

"Yes sweetheart but do you want to help her?"

"Of course daddy, she's my baby sister."

"You know you will have to do surgery in order to give her what she needs, you'll have to be in the hospital for a couple days afterwards."

"Will it hurt?" Asked Karen.

"The doctor will make sure it won't, we'll have the doctor explain the surgery to you and we'll talk it through to make sure you're comfortable with everything."

"Will there be a needle?"

Karen was deathly afraid of needles, she closed her eyes and bit Lana's pillow in order to calm herself enough to give the HLA blood to to Dr. Porpentine, Fitz tried to stop her but she insisted on doing it for Luna.

"Yes, there will be."

"It's okay daddy, I'll do it for Luna, she's my babysitter, I have to take care of her," Karen said with a smile.

"Come here kare."

She got up and went over to Fitz. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"How did I raise such a brave girl huh?"

Karen giggled wildly and shrugged. Olivia hugged her as well, she was glad that Karen agreed, she worried that as she found out more details about the procedure that she might want to back out but she decided not to dwell on what might be.

"Thanks kare," Olivia said with a smile.

* * *

 **Three weeks later.**

Mellie walked into the oval wondering what Fitz could possibly want with her after not having seen her for a year. She stopped mid step when she saw Olivia and Fitz sitting on the couch.

Her defenses immediately went up. She had thought that when she told Fitz about the rigging that he would have permanently gotten rid of her but that was just hopeful thinking, she felt in her heart that he wouldn't.

"Of course you forgive her. Olivia pope can do no wrong for you," she said with disdain.

"Please have a seat Mellie, let's be civil."

"Now you wanna be, you weren't civil when you threw me out on my ass, were you?"

Fitz sighed.

"Mellie in the past year you blown about 20 of the 40 million I gave you, at this rate you'll be broke by next year. I think you'll like what we're offering you, please sit."

Mellie straighten up and say opposite from them on the couch.

"You have 50% legal custody of Karen, we need her to undergo a medical procedure and I need your consent."

Mellie looked at her nails.

"What kind of procedure."

"Bone marrow transfer."

Mellie looked up, he could see the spark in her eyes, the spark that came about when Mellie saw an opportunity to be Mellie.

"Well I know Karen's not sick, so who needs bone marrow?"

She paused and smiled.

"Is it Olivia because there is no way in hell I'm letting Karen give you anything, I sooner watch her die."

"It's not me," Olivia said flatly.

"Don't tell me it's you Fitz, because I kinda would wanna see you dead too," She chuckled.

"Olivia and I have two daughters, their twins and just over 6 months."

Mellie's mouth fell open but no words came out so Fitz continued.

"One of them has leukemia, she's in chemo right now but once she's finished she'll need a bone marrow transplant. Karen is her only match."

Fitz waited for Mellie to respond.

"How much?"

"Another 40 mill and you'll sign over your legal custody."

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?" Fitz asked.

"You knock your whore up and your bastard gets cancer, your mother had the same cancer, I don't think that's a coincidence. I won't let Karen give that baby anything. I want your little bastard to die, it'll teach you two a lesson about karma. You think there would be no recompense for what you pulled on me Fitz, getting rid of me like that to facilitate your whore. When the baby dies the guilt will eat you alive, it'll take you at least a year to come back from that, good luck. And you Ms. Olivia, I've heard that losing a child is probably the hardest thing anyone can go through I'm counting on you to tell me if that's true."

She chuckled sardonically.

"I'm not sure how you too can come back from this but if you do then you two truly deserve each other."

She got up from the couch.

"Is that what this is about? Punishing us because if it is then you've already done that."

Olivia stood up as well.

"Really I don't think I have, I thought my election bombshell was enough to have him dump you like yesterday's news but I guess I was wrong because here you two are."

"We aren't together, not anymore, not since your little bombshell. You condoned our relationship, don't forget that, so don't act like this is some 'hell hath no fury' plot, this is nothing more than a masochistic ego trip but what I don't understand is why my child has to die to prove you won."

Mellie shrugged nonchalantly.

"Maybe I'm bored."

That was it for Olivia, she was seething. She was about to leap on Mellie, she wasn't a violent person but there was no way she would let Mellie talk about her kids like that, she was willing to play nice to get her to sign the papers but since she wouldn't, it didn't matter. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fitz pull something out of his pocket and place it on here table. He pressed the play button.

" _You knock your whore up and your bastard gets cancer, your mother had the same cancer, I don't think that's a coincidence. I won't let Karen give that baby anything. I want your little bastard to die, it'll teach you two a lesson about karma. You think there would be no recompense for what you pulled on me Fitz, getting rid of me like that to facilitate your whore. When the baby dies the guilt will eat you alive, it'll take you at least a year to come back from that, good luck. And you Ms. Olivia, I've heard that losing a child is probably the hardest thing anyone can go through I'm counting on you to tell me if that's tr_ ue."

Mellie gasped and so did Olivia.

Fitz fast forward the recording.

" _You condoned our relationship, don't forget that."_

"You bastard, how dare you record me."

Olivia sat back on the couch, all the anger she was feeling a few seconds prior had disappeared.

"Let's make a deal Mellie because if this recording were to get out I don't think the public would be very appreciative of you wishing death on an infant with cancer, let alone reveling in it. They won't care about me and Olivia's relationship not after they hear this. The deal still stands, sign the consent form and give up your legal custody, I'll wire you the money tomorrow morning."

Fitz handed her a pen and waited for her to sign. Mellie signed and stormed out.

Fitz gathered the papers and stood up.

"I'm sorry for letting her call you names, I just needed to get it on tape."

"Why didn't you tell me? Olivia asked.

"I don't know, I figured you too would have a showdown and I didn't want it to seem staged on your part."

She stood up and punched his arm.

"You should've told me, I can't believe you did that. I was about to jump on her."

He chuckled.

"Would you have really released that tape?" She asked curiously.

"If I had too, yes."

They were both quiet as the contemplated what would happen had the truth about the twins gotten out. Fitz realized and decided to change the subject.

"This is the longest you've been away from Luna, I'm sure you're having withdrawal, let's get back to the hospital."

"Thanks."

"For what?" He asked.

"Everything, you've been my rock throughout this whole thing, I don't know what I would've done if you I didn't have your support."

"Thank you for letting me be there."

She hugged him, tightly and he returned it. They held on to each other for some time until they reluctantly broke the hug and headed back to the hospital.

Karen, Abby and Harrison were in Luna's room. Fitz had one of his agents pick up takeout on their way back. As he walked into the room, Karen jumped up.

"Daddy what did she say?" She asked nervously.

"She said yes."

"Yay," Karen said as she jumped up and down excitedly.

She gave both Olivia and Fitz a hug and then she ran over to Luna and hugged her as well. After they all ate, Olivia was in such a good mood she decided to question Abby about Richard, she had meant to do it for weeks but was always so occupied with Luna, she never got to it.

"So Abby, you and Richard, are a thing now?" She said as Lana played on her lap.

Abby blushed.

"Why yes, we are."

"Congrats, I'm happy for you," Olivia said with a smile.

"Thanks. I'm flying out to New York to spend some time with him next weekend. I might come back pregnant, pray for me Liv."

"Eww," Karen screamed.

Olivia laughed.

"Sorry Kare, you have young ears, you shouldn't be hearing stuff like this," Abby laughed.

Dr. Porpentine entered the room.

"I have the results of the biopsy," He announced.

Olivia stood up quickly, so did Fitz.

"So the leukemic cells are at 2%, which is lower than I expected."

"That's good right?" Olivia could see the excitement on Fitz's face but she still had to ask.

"That's great. It's better than I anticipated. We will do one round of consolidation chemotherapy and then stem cell transplant. Speaking of the transplant, I can't take anymore tests on Karen without the consent form."

Fitz handed him the papers.

"We got them today."

"Perfect," Dr. Porpentine exclaimed.

"Things are looking up people. Few more hurdles and you guys will be out of here," he said as he exited the room.


	18. Chapter 18

**Saturday**

Early in the morning Dr. Porpentine began Luna's consolidation chemotherapy. She was weak but she was doing relatively okay. Karen was scheduled for her bone marrow transfer surgery in a week and Olivia could tell she was nervous.

"Hey Kare, what are you thinking?"

She laid on the floor on a blanket beside Lana.

"Nothing really, just trying to figure out how to get Lana to crawl," she said with a chuckle.

Olivia got up and sat beside them on the floor.

"I think she's been trying to do it on her own but if you want to help you can pick her up like this and place her on all fours. It'll take her some time to start getting into the motion and if you crawl beside her that'll really help too," Olivia said as she showed her the motions of how to place Lana on all fours.

"Got it?"

"Got it," Karen said with a wide smile.

Olivia gave her a kiss on the cheek and then sat with them for a while. She often felt guilty because she couldn't give Lana as much attention as she gave Luna but she decided not to dwell on the negative, Lana wasn't the sick one. Fitz sat on the couch going over briefings while he chatted with Cyrus over the phone.

Today it was just, Fitz and Karen visiting, everyone else was away. Abby was in New York with Richard, Harrison, Stephen and Huck were all at O.P.A working on a case and Cyrus was at the White House running things.

"So Kare, how's school?" Olivia asked.

"Boring, my friend Carla thinks she's so popular because she had her birthday party at school."

"Really?" Olivia asked to egg her on.

"Yea, her cake was ugly anyways and it didn't even taste good because her mom bought a sugar-free cake."

"Eww, what does a sugar-free cake even taste like?"

"Like spinach," Karen said in disgust.

Olivia chuckled.

"Well then we'll just make sure that when your birthday comes up, your party is way better."

Karen squealed in excitement.

After a while Olivia went back to sit by Luna's bedside. She noticed a bluish color on her lips.

"Fitz, can you come here for a sec?"

He nodded.

"Hold on, I'll call you back," He said as he hung up the phone.

She got up and began inspecting her.

Fitz walked over to her and looked down on Luna.

"Fitz, I don't think she's breathing," Olivia said in a panic.

"Karen call for help!"

Karen ran out immediately.

He placed two fingers on the side of her throat.

"I can barely feel a pulse."

Within a few seconds Karen came running with Dr. Porpentine and a team of nurses behind her.

"What's going on?" Dr. Porpentine asked.

"Her lips are blue, she isn't breathing!" Olivia yelled.

"Get me oxygen now!" He ordered the nurse.

He ran over and checked Luna's pulse.

"She's breathing but barely."

Once the nurse came back with the oxygen he placed the mask over her face and began working on her. The nurses begged Olivia to step back but she wouldn't, so Fitz had to pull her back.

He grabbed Lana from off the floor and kept Karen who was crying by his side.

"Let's move her," They heard dr. Porpentine instruct the nurses.

They unhooked the brakes from the stretcher and wheeled her out of the room without a word to Olivia or Fitz.

"Daddy, is Luna gonna die?"

"No, sweetie she's gonna be fine, they just trying to help her breathe."

Olivia sat in the couch staring into space. Karen let go of Fitz and walked over to Olivia.

"See Olivia, it's okay, daddy said she's gonna be alright so don't cry okay."

Karen sat beside her and hugged her tightly.

Olivia rested her head an Karen's lap and let the silent tears flow as she held Karen's hands tightly.

Her mind was blank, she didn't want to entertain the thoughts that were buzzing around in her head so she shut them out completely.

Fitz didn't interrupt them, he let them have their moment and he stood watching with Lana in his arms.

It wasn't long before dr. Porpentine returned. Fitz breath hitched as he saw him headed towards the room.

"She's okay, she's okay," He repeated as he walked into the room, so as not to alarm them.

Fitz let out a deep breath and kissed Lana on the cheek. Olivia sat up and wiped her eyes and hugged onto to Karen tightly.

"She's okay Kare," she breathed out.

They both stood up to hear what the doctor had to say.

"What happened?" Fitz asked.

"She had a sudden cessation of breath, luckily you caught it before she lost any oxygen to the brain. We will keep her under extremely close observation and we will put her back on the monitors, she will be kept on a steady flow of oxygen."

"What caused it?"

"We aren't sure."

"Can we see her?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, of course."

* * *

The week since Luna's incident hadn't been an easy one. She caught a throat infection shortly after and still hadn't come back from it. It was day of Karen's surgery and everyone was antsy. Abby and Richard came back after they heard about Luna's incident, so did Huck. Stephen and Harrison tried to visit more but they also had to run things at O.P.A., so it was hard.

Karen's surgery was only hours away, when Tom walked into the room and headed straight for Fitz.

"Tom?"

"Sir."

Was all he said before he leaned over and whispered something in Fitz ear. Olivia watched intently, she knew something was up because Tom had never came in the room before. When Tom stepped back from Fitz ear, she saw him stand up immediately.

She watched as he walked towards her.

"Liv, it's important."

She stood up from her seat beside Luna's bed.

"It's okay, I understand, do what you have to do."

She gave his arm a tight squeeze and he nodded in response and walked over to Karen.

"Karen, I'm really sorry but I have to go."

"What? Are you gonna be back before the doctors come and get me?"

"No," Fitz said sadly.

"But you said you'd be there," she complained.

"I'm sorry Kare, it's important."

She turned her back on him and folded her arms.

"I'm not talking to you."

"Karen please-"

Olivia walked over.

"It's okay, I'll talk to her, just go."

He was hesitant to go but Tom pulled his arm and Fitz had to hurry out.

"Kare, what's going on?"

She could see that Karen was crying when she turned around to face her.

"He said he was gonna be here when I had to do my surgery," she cried.

"I think he would've wanted that more than anything. You know how much your dad loves you, unconditionally right? But you also know that he has a really important job, millions of people count on him everyday and I think whatever happened must be really important or else he would've never left."

Karen dried her tears.

"I guess so."

"You know what else?"

"What?"

"I think you really hurt his feeling just now."

"I didn't mean to," Karen said sadly.

"It's okay, I think he understands that you're upset."

"Maybe I should call him," Karen suggested.

"Yea, give it a shot."

Karen pulled out her cell that Fitz got her a few months earlier. She dialed his number and waited. He didn't answer, she got a voicemail prompter instead.

"Hey dad, I'm really sorry I was so mean earlier, I love you, call me back."

Olivia chuckled.

"I think he'll love that message."

"You think so?" Karen asked.

"I'm sure."

Karen smiled widely in response.

Soon after Abby and Richard came back with food.

"Where is Fitz?" Richard asked.

"Emergency, he had a leave," Olivia answered.

"Must be really important then," Richard murmured.

Olivia went back to sit by Luna's side, Lana was fast asleep in her carseat and Karen sat with Abby and Richard as they chatted.

An hour later dr. Porpentine came for Karen.

"Hey Karen, it's time."

Karen stood up from the couch.

"Olivia will you come with me?" She asked as she walked over to the doctor.

"Of course sweetie."

She looked over to Abby. Abby picking up on what she was going ask answered before Olivia could ask.

"I'll watch them Liv, don't worry."

Olivia nodded and walked over to Karen.

"Let's go kare, you are gonna do great," she held on to her hand as they walked down the hallway together.

Olivia stayed by Karen's side as they prepped her for surgery.

It was Friday and she took the day off from school, she would have the weekend, Monday and Tuesday to heal from the surgery. Fitz still hadn't called Karen back, she could see that Karen was nervous.

"Hey kare is okay, you're really brave for doing this to help Luna. It's gonna be okay, it won't hurt."

"Okay, I just wish daddy would call back."

Karen was clad in her hospital gown. She hadn't been hooked up to anything as yet, they were waiting for the doctors to put her to sleep. Since Karen was so afraid of needles, they wanted to put her to sleep before they brought out the marrow needles because they were huge and they didn't want to frighten her.

"Well, let's try again," Olivia suggested.

Olivia looked through Karen's things until she found her phone and dialed Fitz then handed her the phone.

Karen waited as it rang but when there was no answer she hung up.

"Maybe his phone died," Karen said sadly.

A few moments later, dr. Porpentine and his team walked in.

"Okay Karen, are you ready?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Okay so we're going to give you medicine that's going to make you sleep."

Karen nodded.

She laid on the bed and watched as the doctor got the syringe ready. Olivia walked over and held her hand as they waited.

They set up the drip and then when it was time to insert the needle in her arm, Karen squeezed Olivia's hand tightly and closed her eyes.

Once it was inserted, Karen opened her eyes.

"You will feel sleepy Karen, it might take you a couple minutes to-"

When dr. Porpentine turned around Karen was fast asleep.

"Or less than a minute," he chuckled.

Olivia felt Karen let go of her hand and got up to give the doctor space to work.

"Turn her on her side and sanitize the area," he instructed one of the nurses.

He asked Olivia to leave the room shortly after.

She went back to Luna's room to find her sleep. Lana however was wide awake. She laid out her blanket on the floor and sat with her and watched her play.

"How is Karen?" Richard asked.

"She's okay, she was a little scared but once the drugs hit her, she was fast asleep."

"When did Luna fall asleep?" She asked Abby.

"Not very long ago."

"Okay."

She watched Lana intently and then realized what was happening as she leaned over on her palms and moved off.

She gasped.

"Abby, she's crawling."

Abby jumped up and walked over to the floor.

"Get my phone and video her so I can send it to Fitz, Karen's been trying to teach her to crawl for weeks I'm sure she'll want to see it too."

Olivia put on of her toys in front of her so she could crawl to it.

"Come on pumpkin, go get your toy, go get your toy for daddy."

Abby and Richard stood to the side recording and cheering her on.

"Come on superstar, go get it," Richard said from the side.

Lana crawled slowly forward and after about two paces she got the toy and dropped on her belly and began chewing the toy.

"Daddy's gonna be so proud of you and your sister too."

Olivia picked her up and peppered her with kisses.

"I'm so proud of you baby girl."

Abby stopped recording.

"I'm gonna send this to Fitz okay."

"Yea of course, I think he'll love it."

"Let's turn on the t.v., I think Comedy Central is roasting somebody tonight," Richard suggested.

"I love those roast, they usually show earlier ones before the new one comes on."

Olivia sat all too consumed by Lana as Abby and Richard tried to find the remote.

Once they turned on the tv, the very first thing they heard was;

" _ **Russia just declared war in the United States by attacking a U.S. Aircraft carrier that was in neutral territory in the Caspian Sea. There are reports that Russian president Vladimir Putin has assembled all his forces and it preparing to attack U.S. Territory. We expect a statement from president Grant at any minute but in the meantime, Mike what are your thoughts?"**_

" _ **What do you want me to say, we have a president that's a pacifist, he and his family has made billions from war and now that he's in office, he's against it. For a navy man, I expect better from him."**_

" _ **Oh please Mike, don't forget about the idiot George bush and how he sent us to war with the wrong country. You finally get a republican president who actually sees war as a bad thing because it is. President grant is a smart man, he isn't going to make a decision without all the facts and considering how many American lives could be lost if we go to war with Russia, I'm glad he isn't running into this conflict the way Bush did and don't be so callous about American lives being lost."**_

" _ **That's the problem with you democrats, so politically correct, I can't stand it, he should bomb Russia to kingdom come, that's my stance and I'm sticking to it."**_

" _ **Excuse me a moment, President grant is in the White House press room, he's going to begin speaking shortly."**_

Olivia, Abby and Richard stood frozen in front of the TV waiting to hear what Fitz had to say. He stood in front of the podium waiting for the chatter in the room to quiet down.

" _ **Today at 10:31am standard eastern time, Russian president Vladimir Putin gave an order to Russian fighter pilot Alexander Mustafin to fire on a non threatening U.S. Navy aircraft carrier ship in neutral territory. The attack on the ship was no accident, it was done out of hostile intentions meant to provoke a war. The attack resulted in the loss of 357 U.S. Naval officers lives, lives that have been robbed of a future, lives that we will not be forgotten. These were good men, men with families and friends. Men who chose to serve their country and protect those who can't protect themselves."**_

Fitz paused, he knew the words he was about to say had the potential to end thousands of lives, but he had no choice.

" _ **This hurts me, this hurts you, I can't imagine an American who isn't hurting because of this. Honest, good Americans soldiers killed for absolutely no reason other than the whims of a mad man"**_

He paused again.

" _ **I have 27 long-range torpedoes aimed at 27 of Russia's most populated cities. I'm sure you are watching this Vlad. You have 1 hour to contact me so we can discuss the price you will pay for the 357 American lives you took, if you fail to do so, I will fire every torpedo we have in our arsenal until it rains blood on the Kremlin."**_

Fitz checked his watch.

" _ **Your hour starts now."**_

Fitz walked out of the room leaving everyone astounded. Reporters pulled out their phones and started making calls. Cyrus ran behind Fitz.

"That's going down in history Fitz, let's see if he takes the bait."

Fitz didn't answer he just kept walking.

"Go back to the situation room, I need a minute."

Fitz didn't look back as he spoke, he just walked straight into the oval.

He pulled out his cell and saw a couple missed calls from Karen and a voice message and a message from Olivia.

He listened to Karen's voice message and it made him sad that he couldn't be there with her. He had promised her that he would and he hated breaking promises to her. He opened Olivia's message and played the video and it brought the widest smile on his face, it made all the stress he was feeling from the Russian conflict disappear into thin air in that moment. He decided to try to call Olivia before Cyrus came for him.

He dialed Olivia's phone and she picked up on the first ring.

"Fitz?"

"Hey Livie."

"So I guess we won't be seeing much of you anymore huh, with this war about to start and all?"

"The optimist in me hopes it doesn't come to that but the realist knows it will."

"Karen's doing good, they put her to sleep and began the surgery, I'm just waiting for the doctor to call me when they're done."

"I'm glad, Lana is a little sneaky thing isn't she, I've tried to get her to crawl for weeks and as soon as I leave she decides to go for it."

"Yes well, you aren't the only one feeling a little hurt, I'm sure Karen will have a lot to say when she wakes up as well."

He sighed.

"I want to be there with my children Olivia. Lately it's been one thing after the other, I convinced Karen to do this surgery and I couldn't even be there with her, Luna is fighting for her life and Lana is achieving these crazy milestones and I'm not there for any of it. Would it be so bad if I just resigned and just walked away from all of this?"

"With everything that's happening right now, it's easy to feel helpless but you shouldn't. You are the only one that can help us all, you can make this country safe for our three girls, if you hand it over to Sally, she'll send thousands of lives into harm's way without a second thought, Vladimir won't respect her as an equal the way he'll respect you, you are the only one that can do this. Luna's sickness, is temporary, pretty soon she'll be out of here and she'll be healthy and happy, Lana is an overachiever and I'm sure she'll do a lot more things that you will be there for and Karen comes out of surgery soon. So don't think like that okay."

"Fitz we need you," Cyrus said as he burst into the room.

"I love you Livie, always."

"I love you too, always."

Fitz hung up and headed back to the situation room.

"What's goin on?" He asked.

"He hasn't made a move yet sir, but an agent undercover in the Russian force says that he is preparing to make the call soon although his intentions are still unclear."

"Alright, so now we wait. In the meantime, get the English prime minister on the phone. I'm sure Vlad wouldn't do this unless he was sure his allies would back him, let us be sure ours will back us too."

"I still don't think you should have warned them about the torpedoes," Cyrus added.

"It'll give civilians time to get out of there. I'm not completely a monster Cy."

45 minutes went by, there still was no call from President Putin.

"Fitz, get ready to fire those torpedoes because it doesn't seem like he's gonna call."

"He's going to call, I know men like Vladimir, he strives off of power, he can't afford to look weak to his men, so he's going to run down the clock. He also can't afford the unrest it would cause in his country if he idly stood by and let me fire 27 torpedoes in his country, he will call and hear what I have to say, he will agree to the terms and then he will double cross me and attack when he thinks I don't expect it, well, he'll try to attack but we'll be ready, The UK, France, Canada, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Norway, Spain, all our allies are ready to support us."

The phone rang.

Fitz smiled.

"Everyone be quiet, put him on speaker."

"President Grant, would you really be so cruel to fire torpedoes into a civilian population," he said in a thick Russian accent.

"We only return what has been given to us in kind."

"Let me hear what is that you have to offer and if you are wasting me time I-"

Fitz cut him off.

"I need a public apology, you will say the name of every soldier that you murdered and apologize to all their families. Then you will step down as president and surrender yourself and Alexander Mustafin to the U.S. authorities to stand trial for war crimes commit against this country."

Fitz paused.

"Think very carefully about what you say next Vlad," he warned.

"I will give you my answer tomorrow."

"You will give me your answer in 10 seconds or I will fire those torpedoes."

The room was eerily quiet for 9 seconds.

"You have a deal President Grant."

He hung up immediately.

"Okay, we are at war. I need a every f-16 rapper and Thunderbird plane fueled and ready for flight, get them on aircraft carriers with their pilots on standby. I need every cia operative working in enemy territory giving frequent intelligence reports, I want to know every move Vlad is planning on making. Release the recording of that phone call to the press corp. Now!"

* * *

"So we are really at war?" Abby asked Olivia as she hung up.

"I think so."

There wasn't much to say so they kept their eyes glued to the TV waiting for an update. An hour went by before the news began reporting on the recording of the conversation between Fitz and Vladimir.

Olivia had never heard Fitz like that before, it gave her goosebumps. She listened as the news pundits argued over the recording.

" _ **Now that we've played the recording in its entirety, what are your thoughts Chris?"**_

" _ **Frankly, I'm surprised president Putin called but the threat of 27 torpedoes would frighten anyone I suppose."**_

" _ **Do you think President Putin will follow through with president Grant's terms and what do you, yourself think about his terms, do you think they are fair? Are you satisfied with the price President Putin would be paying for taking 357 American lives?"**_

" _ **Yes, I've got to say I agree with president Grant's terms. If Putin does surrender, I don't think president Grant would give him a trial, I think he would hold him indefinitely under the patriot act, I think he would keep him there and give him the death penalty."**_

" _ **We also have Bill Maher here with us, what do you think Bill?"**_

" _ **Well thanks for asking Rachel, first I would like to say that this is how it feels to have a president with Balls, that's not an idiot like Bush was. I don't think you'll hear me say this often but I agree with president Grant, do I think we're still going to war, yes, but I think president Grant knows that too. He ordered all the f-16's on standby and the aircraft carriers have left their ports. This is how you deal with people like Putin."**_

" _ **A lot of republican don't agree, they think he should have just fired the torpedoes."**_

" _ **Of course, they don't agree with him, he has a brain. For the party that touts God on their logo, they sure are heartless, look Rachel, I think Grant made the right move, he threatened Russia with those torpedoes and got Putin to call him, giving him the upper hand. Even if he had fired those torpedoes the fact that he gave Putin the option to call and stop it puts the burden of the killing of all those people on Putin. Putin agreed to the deal and we have this recording, his soldiers won't respect him, Russians are nothing if not unforgiving, they won't forgive the weakness he displayed by bowing to President Grant's demands and even if he backtracks and does differently, we have the recording so I'm interested to see how this plays out. Of course I hope that Grant can somehow prevent this war but if he has to go to war with Russia, at least I know he knows what he's doing and that all any of us can ask for, a president who knows what he's doing."**_

"Oh shit this really happening," Abby said incredulously.

"Yep," was all Olivia could say.

Dr. Porpentine walked into the room.

"Karen is out of surgery and is resting. You can see her if you'd like."

"Thank you doctor."


	19. Chapter 19

**One week later.**

"Can I get a status report?"

"Well Mr. President, you were right. Dimitri Darekov, and his followers are trying to overthrow Putin. He has the soldiers on his side and most of Russia. There still many who are loyal to Putin but even they didn't like what he did. They can't afford to look weak but they also don't want to go to war."

"Darekov is smart and is notorious for his hatred of Putin, if he successfully overthrows him, he'll give him to me to appease me."

"So we are on Darekov's side?" asked Cyrus.

"We are on no one's side, we'll watch how this thing plays out and we'll be prepared either way - Keep our forces on high alert, tell them to be prepared for anything."

"Yes sir."

"Great. We will reconvene at 0600 hrs."

Fitz looked around for any objections, when there were none, he got up and headed back to the oval.

It had been a over week since the conflict began. He had only been able to go to the hospital twice since then, the fact that he was in and out of endless security meetings didn't leave much time for anything else, not even sleep. Luna's chemo would be over in a week and he hoped that Darekova would successfully overthrow Putin and hand him over so that they could avert this war. Everytime he was away from Olivia and the girls, we couldn't focus, he mind always lingered. He tried to stay sharp but he couldn't help but worry about them. Hoping that they didn't feel abandoned. Thankfully Karen was back at the whitehouse. With her surgery over, she was feeling great. He hadn't gotten a chance to see her as much as he'd like because whenever she wasn't at school, she was at the hospital or in the residence sleeping.

* * *

"Things are looking up. Once we let her rest this week we'll give her the biopsy, if the result are what I expect them to be we'll go ahead and do the transplant right away. I want her to stay here for about a month before she can go home. She will have an entirely new immune system, I don't want to take any chances."

"Neither do I Dr. Porpentine."

He patted her on the shoulder.

"Things are looking up, smile mommy, you'll be home soon."

She gave him a small smile and then excuses herself back to Luna's hospital room.

Both the girls were sleeping and Karen was at school. Richard flew back to New York, Abby was at the office working and Fitz was probably in some war meeting. She couldn't wait for the war drama to be over. She could tell that Fitz was doing everything in his power not to go to war but he also had to look aggressive and ready. The weeks that he'd been there, were great ones. He was careful and kept his distant whenever he needed to but most of all he was a father to their children. He was good with them, especially Lana, she couldn't get enough of him. When ever he was around ,he was jumping at the chance to be near him. If he smiled, she smiled and whenever she got close to this face, she would begin chewing on it, he would be covered in drool and it was the funniest thing in the world to him. She wondered how things would change once they left the hospital. She didn't know what would come of their relationship. As supportive as he'd been for the past couple months since he found out about the twins, she'd never felt so distant from him. He told her he loved her but it wasn't in the way he'd always said it, not the way he used to profess his love for her but instead he seemed to be be telling her that he loved her, the way you would tell a person you cared for. She wondered if she should be worried about it. She also wondered if he would try to get custody of them after everything was over. Not full custody, she knew he wasn't that crazy but maybe he would try to take them for the weekend, either way, she wasn't having it. If he wanted to see them, he could come to her apartment to see them and if he had a problem with that then he could stay away. There was no way she was letting them out of her sight once she had them back at home. She realized that she was jumping the gun, Fitz made no mention of filing for custody, so she didn't want to worry about that, at least now right now.

 **3 weeks later.**

Fits sat in the situation room waiting for the new Russian president to call. After two weeks of watching the chaos in Russia unfold and Putin overthrown, it took a week of negotiations to get Darekov on the phone to discuss an end to the conflict.

"Everyone quiet, he's calling right now," Fitz said loudly in the situation.

Fitz put the phone on speaker.

"President Darekov, I had not expected to hear from you so soon."

"President Grant, I have accepted your terms, I will deliver former president Putin and Alexander Mustafin to you. I do not wish to prolong this conflict the sooner we can get this over with the better."

He was direct with his thoughts, he didn't cut corners and Fitz liked that, he didn't have time for the games.

"My thoughts exactly, I'll meet you tomorrow at 0900 hours at the Munich army base, we can both sign the no retaliation agreement and you can hand over the prisoners and we can both move on with our lives, how does that sound, President Darekov?"

"It sounds like we have deal?" he said in his thick russian accent.

Fitz hung up.

"Yess."

They all started celebrating. Cyrus ran up and grabbed his face and kissed him on the cheek.

"You just won us a second term," he screamed.

Fitz wiped his cheek.

"Eww Cyrus," he said jokingly.

"Sir, should we pull back troops?"

"Of course not, high alert until we sign this thing and get Tom to prep AF1, I'd like to get there early."

A few minutes later, Fitz was back in the oval with Cyrus.

Fitz walked over to the decanter and pour himself some scotch and threw it back then loosened his tie and sat in the couch, Cyrus followed him.

"History."

"What?" Fitz asked.

"History, you just made, you just made a threat that shook a whole nation so much that they overthrew a leader that had ruled them for 10 years and they are going to hand him over to you, to fucking do as you please with him," Cyrus said as he laughed sardonically.

"When you put it that way it sounds pretty cool," Fitz admitted.

"We save taxpayers billions and not to mention, no more American lives are lost. Shit, I think I might come with you to Germany."

"Remember what happened last time you left the country with me?"

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Fitz chuckled.

"I'm a lucky guy. Luna did her transplant and she's healing perfectly, her blood count goes up everyday. Karen's happy, Lana's happy, Olivia is - I never know what's going on with Olivia but she seems alright now that Luna's better, either way things are going great."

"How are things with you and Olivia?"

Fitz had to think about that question because he really didn't know.

"Things are quiet, right now. Good I guess, we're getting along."

"Are you two together?"

"No, we're not, we're just co-parents, I guess."

"Well at least you guys are talking to each other."

"Was I that bad?"

"Huh?"

"The whole rigging thing, me not speaking to her? What I that bad?"

"I don't think I ever really got the chance to sit down and explain to you how it went down, I think it's important you know that part of you are to understand why Olivia felt the way she did."

Cyrus paused to see if Fitz would object but he didn't so she continued.

"After the whole Karen press debacle, you know the popular opinion of Mellie was at an all time low and that's when you started to slip behind. A couple weeks before the election Gerry, Verna and Hollis called me into a room and explain to me their plan, I resisted at first but ultimately I gave in, the he called Mellie, he didn't have to tell her twice, she was in. They weren't sure about Olivia, she always seemed so moral. I practically begged them not to involve her, I didn't bring her to the campaign to involve her in that. Of course they ignored me and did anyway. They had already set the plan in motion, whatever they planned to do was going to get done and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it at the time, except yell election fraud in the streets. Gerry wanted Olivia because she was smart, he figured that if we got busted he'd rather have her on his side than the side of the cops, so they told her. She didn't believe at first, then she flat out said she was gonna tell you, then Gerry started throwing out threats, it was a hot mess but make no mistake, she did stick up for you, more than you wife and father and me for that matter but in the end she lost."

"Yea but why didn't she tell me?"

"Why would she? In the end it didn't matter what we did, you would have won anyways."

"I told her I forgave her, but I think she's still resents me for leaving her. I can feel it, she is sort of warming up to me but also keeping me at a distance, she told me she loved me 3 and a half weeks ago but even then it was different, it seemed like she said it for closure or something."

"I don't think that's why she resents you."

"Then why?"

"It's the hospital, when you got shot, what you did by not speaking to her, really hurt her."

"Why? After not speaking to her for months, why does that particular instance make a difference?"

"You know why. If she was shot and there was no way to know if she was alive or not except for hearing her voice over the phone and she refused to open her mouth and talk to you how you feel? She would rather have you agonize than give you their courtesy of saying 'hello, I'm alive, goodbye'. Now imagine being alone, imagine being pregnant with that person's baby, no - I'm sorry excuse me babies, and imagine that person telling you to get lost and that they never wanted to see you again over something that you have no control of and then add some pregnancy hormones and a little over thinking and stubbornness and voila, Olivia Pope in the flesh."

"I'm trying to make up for that but-"

"Don't get me wrong, she's wrong here too, she carried two babies to term and didn't tell you until they were 5 months and she probably only did it because one had cancer, you should be pissed. That's absolutely unforgivable and what you did was unforgivable so maybe you two should just co-parent."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Sir, AF1 is prepped and ready for flight, you have an hour sir."

"Thank you Lauren."

Cyrus regretted making the mood so somber and decided to change the tone.

"You just had a victory, celebrate for a second. Go shower and put on your best suit, meet me out back in an hour."

On his way back to the residence, he called Olivia. It almost went to voicemail before she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Liv, I was just calling to see how the girls were doing?"

"They're doing great, I just fed them, Lana is asleep but Luna is up. She gets more and more energy everyday."

"That's great, I think this thing might be over, I have to go out of the country but once I get back I think this whole war thing is going to be behind us."

"Really?"

"Yea, hopefully. I can't promise what hasn't happened yet but I think so."

"That's great, I think things will be normal soon."

"I think so too."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm about to shower for my trip."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later then."

"Alright."

Fitz took a quick shower, shaved and dressed himself. By the time he finished getting dressed and went down to the car, Cyrus was there waiting for him.

"You don't miss a beat do you Cy."

"Nope."

"You look sharp," Fitz complimented.

"Thanks, this is my kick ass suit," Cyrus chuckled.

"I can't deal with your antics right now Cy," Fitz couldn't help laugh.

Moments later they boarded marine 1 for the airstrip. Fitz immediately headed to a seat and got comfortable. He didn't want to use the bed in his cabin because he didn't want to have to change out of his suit, so he settled for a chair and got some much needed sleep on the flight.

When he touched down in Munich, he still had several hours to prep for the meeting. He wasn't nervous, only Olivia made him nervous, he was anxious. He just wanted to get it over with and go back home to his family. He waited patiently, reading over the agreement several times and listening to status updates from his advisors. Once it was time, they all headed to the meeting location. Fitz waited for 20 minutes before Darekov arrived.

"President Grant"

"President Darekov."

Was all both men said to each other in greetings. The room was silent and the tension was thick in the air. Fitz and Darekov stared each other down for a few seconds before Darekov began.

"Now that I have the opportunity to say it your face, I must say I was not happy that you so boldly threatened thousands of Russian lives, it is not something we will forgive."

"You don't have to. I might have threatened Russian lives but hundreds of American lives have been lost to us forever, that is not something we will forgive either."

"I would expect you to be more diplomatic."

"The fact that I didn't fire those torpedoes into Russia is about as diplomatic as I will get, hand over the prisoners, sign the no retaliation agreement and we can both go back to our countries and try to put this conflict behind us."

"If you truly mean that then you will pull back your troops."

"I'll pull back my troops when I'm good and ready."

Fitz handed him the papers and after waiting as he read it over and over again, Darekov signed.

"The prisoners are outside of the facility in an armored car surrounded by your guards."

He got up and stormed out and his entourage followed. Fitz didn't wait, he went outside immediately to see Putin and Mustafin. Both were handcuffed and were inside a prisoner carrier. Press was everywhere. After a few minutes of the usual pleasantries and being briefed on the route the prisoners were to be taken back to the U.S., Fitz boarded AF1 and left for DC.

Once he landed and gave a statement to his press secretary, he headed straight to the hospital. It was 10pm and both the girls were sleeping. Karen was back at the White House with her nanny. When he walked into the room, Olivia was on the couch reading.

"Hey Liv."

She looked up and smiled.

"I've been calling you."

He smiled back.

"I know, I wanted to surprise you and the girls but I guess I'm too late for the girls."

She put the marker in her book and placed it in the table beside her.

"Yeah, they've had quite an active day and they gave me hell to go to bed."

He walked over to Luna, who was sleeping on her bed. Lana was sleeping on the couch next to Olivia. Fitz was about to touch Luna.

"Wait - wash your hands."

"Oh yea."

Since the bone marrow transplant, they had to be extra careful with Luna and her exposure to bacteria. Her immune system was extremely fragile and the last thing they needed was an infection. It was three weeks after the transplant, Dr. Porpentine had been watching out for signs of the graft vs host disease, which is a disease that is the result of Luna's cells attacking Karen's cells as a foreign object but luckily there had been no sign of it. Every complete blood count test that had been done so far came back with a steadily rising number of white blood cells, red blood cells and blasts, which was great news. They removed the feeding tube because Luna began eating on her own and finally started to gain a some weight and looked healthier and healthier everyday. Dr. Porpentine told Olivia that if the results of her next bone marrow biopsy and complete blood count test were positive, which he believed they would be, then she could take Luna home along with a home nurse and she could finish healing at home. Of course they would have to make several weekly visits but at least they would be in the comfort of their home for the most part and that would go a long way to helping Luna recover.

When Fitz finished washing his hands, he went back over to Luna. In the month since the conflict began he'd barely seen them. Luna looked bigger.

"Is she gaining weight?" he asked.

"Yes, she's been eating a lot more, she gained about three pounds since the transplant."

"Really?" he asked with a smile.

"Yep but that's not the good news that I wanted to share."

Fitz raised his eyebrows.

"What good news?"

"Dr. Porpentine said we can go home in a week."

"Really?" he asked incredulously.

"Yep, we have to hire a home nurse but yea, we can go home. With her blood count rising and no sign of graft vs host, he sees no reason to keep us here, we'll have to come here for a check like every other day but that's fine by me," she said with a smile.

"Wow, thats amazing and exactly what I needed to hear after the crazy month that it's been."

"Yeah it has been. What's going on with this whole war thing? Is there going to be a war or not because it's been almost a month…"

"Didn't you watch the news today?"

"No, I've been reading this book all day, you know, when I'm not with the girls."

"Well, you missed a lot. For my trip I met with new Russian president Dmitri Darekov, we both signed a no retaliation agreement and we handed over Putin and Mustafin. As far as intelligence goes, he doesn't seem to have anything up his sleeve so as of now, there will be no war. Of course I still have to have troops line up because after all this is a dick swinging contest and I have to prove a point that I'm the bigger dick but yea, I think we're in the clear."

Olivia chuckled.

"You know you can never go anywhere near Russia again right? Not in your lifetime and I'd also advise you not to even fly over it, they'd shoot your plane down."

"Listen, I won't even go near Russia on the map."

Olivia chuckled.

"That would be wise."

He kissed Luna on her forehead and walked over to Lana.

"They've both been cooing a lot more, I think their gonna start saying words soon, the doctor thinks so too."

He picked Lana up and cradled her.

"Oh yea, who do you think it going to start speaking first?"

"Honestly, Luna, Lana has been so active that I don't think she cares to start speaking but Luna has been very loud lately and she's trying to utter more sounds, I think she'll first Lana on this one."

"Is it weird that this is all still so surreal to me? The fact that I have twins with you, it's been over three months and I still can't believe it."

"I think if you had gotten to see me pregnant then you'd get a chance to actually process it the way it did. I had barely changed a diaper before they were born and now I have twins."

"I always used to imagine you with kids, I wanted you to have a boy, my boy, we'd name him Fitzgerald Thomas Grant ৷⋁, just to keep the family tradition going."

Olivia chuckled.

"Oh please, if we named him Fitzgerald Grant, what would his nickname be, we call you Fitz, your dad was Gerry, what would we call our son, 'Fitzgerry'."

Fitz rolled his eyes.

"Funny but no, we'd call him junior."

"Junior's not bad, I like junior."

Fitz kissed Lana's cheek.

"Junior would have been nice but I love my girls, I wouldn't trade them for anything."

Fitz paused.

"Thanks for allowing me to be apart of their lives. They really means the world to me."

"You're an amazing father, to them and to Karen, you should see the way Lana's face lights up whenever she sees you on the TV."

Fitz smiled and kissed Lana again.

"She's just a daddy's girl that all."

Fitz spent the entire night at the hospital, talking with Olivia about mundane things that had happened over the last few weeks until they both fell asleep on the couch.


	20. Chapter 20

Olivia walked into her apartment with Luna in hand, Fitz walked in behind her with Lana in hand and Karen by his side. It was late friday night and Fitz and Karen were going to sleepover and leave in the morning. After being in the hospital for over three months the girls were a week away from being 9 months old. Olivia thought about maybe having friends over to celebrate them being home but decided against it because she didn't want that many people around Luna with her immune system still being so fragile. They were both asleep, she brought Luna to her crib and gently placed her inside, Fitz followed behind her and did the same with Lana. Once both the girls were in the crib and fast asleep, they walked back out to the living room.

"Hey Karen, do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?" Olivia asked.

"Yea sure."

"Okay, so why don't you go change and put on your pj's, I'll be there in a sec."

Karen nodded and headed to the bedroom.

"You can sleep in guest room," Olivia paused, "by the way, Bonnie, my nanny is coming by tomorrow to see the girls, so if you want to stick around and meet her you can."

"Yea sure I 'd love to meet her but I don't think I'll need the guest room tonight, I have a lot of briefing packets I need to look over tonight so I was just gonna sit in the girls nursery and do it."

"I was gonna be in the nursery."

"It's okay, we can both be in there together."

Olivia gave him a small shrug and walked off. Fitz didn't know what to make of it so he ignored it. He went into Olivia's room to find Karen in her pajamas. He had helped her pack an overnight bag because they had already discussed that Karen would be staying for the weekend and coming home on Sunday evening. Once he tucked her in and gave her a kiss goodnight he headed to the bathroom. The door was closed and he could hear the shower running so he knew Olivia was in there. The apartment was huge and had one and a half bathrooms so he went to the other bathroom. All he really wanted to do was wash his face and hands, he didn't need a full bathroom to do that. When he finished in the bathroom, he took off his jacket and dress shirt, grabbed his files and sat on the floor by the window in the nursery and turned on the floor lamp and began going over his packets.

About an hour later, Olivia emerged in a terry robe, she walked over to the rocking chair and sat with her legs propped up on the knitted pouf.

"Goodnight," she murmured softly.

"Goodnight," he returned.

The next morning Bonnie arrived early at 8:30 in the morning. Both Fitz, Olivia and the girls were up, Karen however was still fast asleep. Fitz helped Olivia ready the girls for their day. Luna still had her Hickman catheter inserted in her chest, so they couldn't give her a bath, instead opting to wipe her up but Lana was able to bathe. Once they were bathed, they fed them both and in the middle of their feeding, Bonnie knocked.

"Come in," Olivia called, Bonnie had her own key.

Bonnie opened the door, confused as to why armed men were outside her door and gave her a pat down before she was able to enter the apartment.

"Olivia' why are there men outside."

Bonnie stopped in her tracks when she saw Fitz. Olivia could see Bonnie trying to process seeing Fitz.

"Bonnie, this is-"

"President Grant," Bonnie said not waiting for Olivia to finish.

"Uhm okay, let me just get this out-of-the-way, Fitz is - their… father."

She waited for Bonnie's response.

"Wow, well they definitely have his eyes, always wondered where they got that from," Bonnie chuckled.

Olivia was glad Bonnie didn't seemed to freak out, plus she had her sign a non disclosure before she hired her so she knew it was not like she could tell anyone even if she wanted to.

Bonnie didn't stay very long, after all she would officially start her regular work schedule on the following Monday. While Luna was in the hospital, Olivia had her visit the hospital weekly to see the girls just so that once she started her schedule again, she wouldn't seem like a stranger to them. Once she left, Fitz left shortly after as well to go take care of some things at the white house.

* * *

Monday morning, bright and early, Olivia and Bonnie went to the hospital with both the girls for an examination with Dr. Porpentine. He examined Luna the way he usually did and checked her blood count, which luckily was still rising and then sent them on their way. He told her, she would have to visit three times a week until he was confident Luna was in the clear, he also assigned her a home nurse.

She visited three times a week until the doctor changed it to twice a week, then once a week. Each week that passed Luna got stronger and stronger. They removed the catheter a shortly after she came home and soon after that she began hitting her milestones one after the other. She began sitting up on her own, not that she hadn't done it while in the hospital but this time, she sat up for longer periods of time. Three and a half weeks after she came home she said her first word, 'Baba' in reference to Fitz. He was ecstatic that he was the first word she said. Then it was 'mama' a week after and then 'bo' for bonnie. While Lana hadn't began speaking as yet, she was practically running. She touched everything in sight, they had to childproof everything. She was a real mischief maker, she often would take Luna's toys or pacifier away from her and giggled when she cried. Lana was the more aggressive of the too, while Luna was passive. About a month after Luna began speaking, Lana said her first word, 'mama' and then it was 'kaka' for karen and 'papa' for Fitz. Both Lana and Luna were happy and progressing nicely.

Fitz had developed a routine, he slept over in the guest room every weekend and so did Karen, most nights we would come by and spend a few hours with them and then left for the white house after. It had been his routine for the two months since Luna had been home. Karen slept over along with him most weekends and if he would allow it, she would have slept there most weekdays as well.

Everything was going smoothly, all they were waiting for was Dr. Porpentine's to officially declare that Luna was in remission but other than that, everything was as normal as it could get. Olivia started working from home again, she hadn't been to the office in months and she decided that until she felt completely comfortable that Luna was 100% cancer free and healthy, she probably wouldn't work at the office but it didn't matter to her because her kids were more important that O.P.A any day of the week.

* * *

She sat on the park bench with Abby, who wouldn't shut up about how great things were going between her and Richard. Olivia was never a jealous woman but considering the fact that things between her and Fitz were at a stand still and she hadn't had sex since she conceived the twins, the last thing she wanted to hear was Abby's very detailed descriptions of sex with Richard, she was beyond over it.

Olivia sat for almost an hour, listening and commenting every so often until she wouldn't take it anymore.

"Hey Abby, let's bring the girls inside, they look sleepy."

Abby stopped mid sentence.

"Uhh sure, let's go."

They walked down the block and crossed the street over to the apartment. Olivia stopped at her mailbox to collect the mail on her way up. She flipped through the lot, she got a few magazines and a letter from the hospital and insurance company. She decided to wait until she got back to the apartment to open it. When she met up with Abby at the elevator and got back the apartment, the girls were more energetic than ever. It took them a while to settle down enough for their midday nap but once they finally did settle down enough to sleep, Olivia decided to see what the hospital sent her.

She sat down beside Abby on the couch and opened the mail. It was Luna's bill and it felt Olivia briefly speechless.

"What's wrong," Abby asked.

Olivia didn't say anything, she just handed her the bill. Abby skimmed over it and gasped.

"What the fuck! 800 grand for a bone marrow transplant."

Olivia smiled.

"Look at the total after the insurance paid their part," Olivia chuckled humorlessly.

"Wow Liv, you have a $400,000 hospital bill, if Fitz wasn't rich, I'd be worried."

Olivia turned to face Abby.

"Uhm, what does Fitz have to do with this?" she asked.

"He's their father, he's gonna have to stand some of the costs? Right?"

"He's not on their birth certificate, I'm not asking him for anything, I'll pay my child's hospital bill by myself."

Abby looked up at the ceiling, confused.

"Are you an idiot? That's a $400,000 bill and he's a billionaire, why would you not let him pay for it."

"Because I don't want his money, I'll pay for this out of my savings, it'll be fine."

Abby got up from her chair.

"You're being obnoxious and stupid."

"Just keep your mouth shut about this, I don't want him to know and that means no telling Richard because he'd just go and tell Fitz."

"Uhm I can tell Richard whatever I want to tell him."

Abby stormed off and Olivia followed her.

"Abby I'm serious," she yelled after her but Abby didn't bother to stop. She just made her way out the door and down the hallway. She got tired of Olivia and her stubbornness, it was always her way or nothing else and after getting to know Fitz and realizing that he really wasn't a bad guy, she decided to tell him. She pulled out her cell and called his office, she was sure he was there. Lauren picked up and then transferred her to Fitz.

"Gabby, what's up?" he teased.

"Ha ha that's always so funny and it never gets old, does it?"

"No it doesn't," he chuckled,

"I didn't call to fraternize, not at this second, I actually called because I'm a little annoyed at Olivia."

"Why?"

"The hospital bill came today, it's over $400,000 and she plans on paying the entire thing by herself."

"Why would she want to do that?"

"Because she's annoying that's why and she wouldn't stop babbling on about how they were her kids and blah blah blah, so just to give you a head's up, I feel like as the father, you should pay some of it."

"I don't understand why she wouldn't tell me about that, I'd pay the entire thing if I knew about it. She's driving me crazy, everytime I try to bring up the fact that I want to support the girls financially she's too busy to talk about it."

Abby sighed.

"This is Olivia were talking about, she's the most stubborn person on the planet, actually I think you and her should battle for the championship belt on that one but anyways, if you want her to hear you out, you gotta stand your ground or else she won't listen. I'm telling you that from knowing her for many years, and by the way, I did this for my god babies, not you."

She heard Fitz sigh.

"Fine, a little bit for you but only because Richard loves you."

Fitz chuckled.

"How are things with you and Richard?"

"Oh please, like you don't know. Goodbye Fitz."

"Bye Gabby."

Fitz hung up and had Lauren call the hospital immediately so he could speak with Dr. Porpentine. He sorted out payment of Luna's bill with the doctor and then wrote a rather generous check to the hospital and had Lauren deliver it.

He wasn't angry with Olivia, he was annoyed. He felt like for the last 6 months, he'd been trying his best to be agreeable and placid with whatever she wanted but she didn't seem to care. With the twins nearing 1 years old, he knew they needed to discuss some very important things that they had ignored for way too long.

Later that night, after he put Karen to bed, he made his way over to her apartment. When she opened the door, she didn't exactly look excited to see him, she seemed just as annoyed as he was but he wasn't going to let that throw him off.

"We need to talk."


	21. Chapter 21

"Yes we do," she replied.

He stepped into the apartment.

"Why did you go behind my back and sort out payment with the hospital, don't you think as their mother, maybe you should have told me so that I don't feel like an idiot when the hospital calls me to tell me my bill is paid in full and also that they wanted to thank me for the donation in Luna's name."

Fitz walked past her and sat on the couch and Olivia followed, standing directly in front of him

"Are you going to answer me or are you just going to sit there."

Fitz ignored her and laid back on the couch. He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve.

"How were the girls today?"

"Seriously?"

"I've been calling you all day, if you answered my calls I could have told you about the hospital bill. How were the girls today?"

"They're fine," she said flatly.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Custody and child support."

"I'm tired, I don't wanna talk about that. Anything else?"

"Haven't I obeyed all your stupid rules and been agreeable these last 6 months. I've have done everything you've asked no matter how much I didn't agree with it for the sake of us the girls. That was my compromise, now it's your turn."

"My turn to compromise?"

"Yep, I want my name on the birth certificate."

"No. Next?"

Fitz chuckled.

"What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem except for the fact that you think you can come into my life and lay down all the rules."

"I'm not trying to lay down any rules, I just want to see my kids."

"See, that's exactly the problem. They are not your kids, they are mine. Legally, they are mine, they are not yours so you don't get to make any decisions, I do."

"I want my name on the birth certificate-"

She cut him off.

"No-"

"SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH!" Fitz screamed.

Olivia stepped back, a shocked that he would yell at her like that. She listened to see if maybe he had woken the girls, but they were quiet.

"I want my name on the birth certificate, I want them on the weekends and I want to figure out an amount I can pay you in child support every month."

"No, I'm not agreeing to any of that. You can see them on my terms, your name does not go on the birth certificate because if it does then it'll be a day tops before the entire world finds out and I can take care of them on my own, I don't need your money."

"I don't care whether or not you need it, I want to know that my kids will have everything they want."

"This conversation is over, kiss the girls goodnight and get out and don't threaten me again."

"Threaten you? Are you serious? When did I threaten you."

"You are threatening to take my kids away."

"Threatened to take your kids away? I asked to have then two days a week and you think that's me threatening you. I'm convinced you're crazy."

Olivia was about to walk away but then she stopped in her tracks.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Call me crazy one more time?" She threatened.

"You are crazy as fuck."

In that moment, all she wanted to do was slap him but she decided not to be violent, instead she walked over to the door and opened it as far as it could go.

Fitz put on his jacket, as slowly as possible just to annoy her and then walked over to the door and stopped in front of her.

"Do you really want to go to war with me?"

She didn't answer, she just stared in space.

"Okay then I guess I'll see you in court."

She couldn't stand when he got all cocky.

"I think you're forgetting how good of a lawyer I am."

He leaned over towards her, so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. She missed him, so much it made her heart ache but that didn't mean she was going to back down. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so much anger towards him lately. It's not like he'd done any specific thing to trigger her.

"Oh I know, but I won't matter because I think you're forgetting that there isn't a judge in the country who won't grant me full custody just so I could owe them a favor."

Olivia did forget, she'd been so angry with him that she didn't get to actually sit down and think about what a court battle with Fitz would actually mean.

"Get out of my apartment Fitz, you are not welcome here anymore."

He eyed her as he walked out and she slammed the door as hard as she could, she is instantly regretted it because both the girls began crying, startled from the loud bang.

The next morning Olivia took Luna to visit Dr. Porpentine, she left Lana with Bonnie because she knew it would be a quick check up. She arrived at the hospital a bit late for her appointment but still ended up waiting a half hour to see the doctor. When the doctor finally called her into his office and asked her to sit, she was a little surprised because he usually began their visits by examining Luna.

Before Olivia could ask her question, the doctor began;

"I know you are anxious, so let me just say it; your daughter is in complete remission."

Olivia smiled, "complete remission?"

"Yes, all the sign and symptoms of her cancer have disappeared, which is amazing, I expected remission but not complete remission so congratulations."

"Wow, I mean, I just can't believe this is finally over," she turned to Luna, "Did you hear that sugar bun? No more cancer."

She peppered her with kisses all over her face. Dr. Porpentine laughed as he watched them interact.

"As a doctor, I must remind you that the cancer can come back."

Olivia smiled.

"Just let me have this moment."

He smiled back at her.

"Of course. We'll talk details on your next visit but for now only good news - well, I'm gonna let you go now, you can share the good news with your family."

Olivia left the hospital shortly after, she had been expecting the news but actually hearing him say it, drastically changed her mood. She was happy but she wasn't exactly sure who to call. She was angry with Abby, so she wasn't going to call her, she was pissed at Fitz so she wasn't going to call him, in the end she decided to just go home and share the news with Bonnie.

She had been come for a couple hours, when Abby opened the door with her key and walked in. "Uhm, what are you doing here?" Olivia asked surprised.

"I'm here to see my god daughters."

"After the shit you pulled with Fitz, I don't want you near them, I don't trust that you won't run and tell him every little thing that happens."

Abby rolled her eyes.

"I only did that because you were wrong, I know you don't like to hear it but were wrong Olivia, he's their father and you need to let him be apart of their lives just as much as you are."

"Did you know that he wants to file for full custody, he wants them 7 days a week now and I'd get visitation, if I'm lucky."

Olivia's voice began to tremble.

"He took my dignity, he took my peace of mind, he broke my heart and now he's taking my kids and you're helping him! Whose side are you? Huh Abby because if it's not mine, I need to know. You're suppose to be my friend remember, not his!"

"I didn't know he would try and do that."

"That's why you should have mind your business," Olivia snapped.

"If he wants to take it to court, then we'll fight him."

"You know what he told me last night; there isn't a judge in the country who wouldn't grant him full custody just so he could owe them a favor and you know what? He's right. He's doesn't even need to file to establish paternity because all he'll need is a statement from Dr. Porpentine saying that he was tested as a related donor for Luna."

"I'll go talk to him," Abby offered apologetically.

"No, you've done enough."

Bonnie was a little shocked, Olivia was private and after almost a year of working with her, that was the most she'd ever heard Olivia speak on her private life.

"I'm sorry, Liv, I didn't mean for him to try and take them away from you, I just wanted them to have their father in their life."

"Abby, whatever is going on between me and Fitzgerald and the decision I make regarding how much I want him in their life is none of your business."

"I thought I was doing what was best for the girls but now I see that I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Olivia sighed.

"It's alright, I guess you wouldn't be Abby if you weren't messing around in my business."

"I really am sorry though,"

Olivia sat back on the couch.

"I forgive you and I'm sorry for yelling at you, I just sort of had that building up."

"Ehh it's okay, better out than in right?"

"I guess."

Abby sat beside her, Bonnie excused herself to the nursery.

"So what are you gonna do about the whole custody thing? Are you sure you don't want me to talk to him?"

"No, I think you've done enough," Olivia said with a humorless chuckle.

"So what do we do then?"

"I'm really not sure, I sort of had a plan for if this happened but it's very extreme and I only want to do it if I absolutely have no other choice."

"That bad huh?"

"Yea, he'll definitely never forgive me and it's not the most moral thing I could've done but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Okay well whatever it is, I'm in."


	22. Chapter 22

"Yes we do," she replied.

He stepped into the apartment.

"Why did you go behind my back and sort out payment with the hospital, don't you think as their mother, maybe you should have told me so that I don't feel like an idiot when the hospital calls me to tell me my bill is paid in full and also that they wanted to thank me for the donation in Luna's name."

Fitz walked past her and sat on the couch and Olivia followed, standing directly in front of him

"Are you going to answer me or are you just going to sit there."

Fitz ignored her and laid back on the couch. He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve.

"How were the girls today?"

"Seriously?"

"I've been calling you all day, if you answered my calls I could have told you about the hospital bill. How were the girls today?"

"They're fine," she said flatly.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Custody and child support."

"I'm tired, I don't wanna talk about that. Anything else?"

"Haven't I obeyed all your stupid rules and been agreeable these last 6 months. I've have done everything you've asked no matter how much I didn't agree with it for the sake of us the girls. That was my compromise, now it's your turn."

"My turn to compromise?"

"Yep, I want my name on the birth certificate."

"No. Next?"

Fitz chuckled.

"What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem except for the fact that you think you can come into my life and lay down all the rules."

"I'm not trying to lay down any rules, I just want to see my kids."

"See, that's exactly the problem. They are not your kids, they are mine. Legally, they are mine, they are not yours so you don't get to make any decisions, I do."

"I want my name on the birth certificate-"

She cut him off.

"No-"

"SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH!" Fitz screamed.

Olivia stepped back, a shocked that he would yell at her like that. She listened to see if maybe he had woken the girls, but they were quiet.

"I want my name on the birth certificate, I want them on the weekends and I want to figure out an amount I can pay you in child support every month."

"No, I'm not agreeing to any of that. You can see them on my terms, your name does not go on the birth certificate because if it does then it'll be a day tops before the entire world finds out and I can take care of them on my own, I don't need your money."

"I don't care whether or not you need it, I want to know that my kids will have everything they want."

"This conversation is over, kiss the girls goodnight and get out and don't threaten me again."

"Threaten you? Are you serious? When did I threaten you."

"You are threatening to take my kids away."

"Threatened to take your kids away? I asked to have then two days a week and you think that's me threatening you. I'm convinced you're crazy."

Olivia was about to walk away but then she stopped in her tracks.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Call me crazy one more time?" She threatened.

"You are crazy as fuck."

In that moment, all she wanted to do was slap him but she decided not to be violent, instead she walked over to the door and opened it as far as it could go.

Fitz put on his jacket, as slowly as possible just to annoy her and then walked over to the door and stopped in front of her.

"Do you really want to go to war with me?"

She didn't answer, she just stared in space.

"Okay then I guess I'll see you in court."

She couldn't stand when he got all cocky.

"I think you're forgetting how good of a lawyer I am."

He leaned over towards her, so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. She missed him, so much it made her heart ache but that didn't mean she was going to back down. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so much anger towards him lately. It's not like he'd done any specific thing to trigger her.

"Oh I know, but I won't matter because I think you're forgetting that there isn't a judge in the country who won't grant me full custody just so I could owe them a favor."

Olivia did forget, she'd been so angry with him that she didn't get to actually sit down and think about what a court battle with Fitz would actually mean.

"Get out of my apartment Fitz, you are not welcome here anymore."

He eyed her as he walked out and she slammed the door as hard as she could, she is instantly regretted it because both the girls began crying, startled from the loud bang.

The next morning Olivia took Luna to visit Dr. Porpentine, she left Lana with Bonnie because she knew it would be a quick check up. She arrived at the hospital a bit late for her appointment but still ended up waiting a half hour to see the doctor. When the doctor finally called her into his office and asked her to sit, she was a little surprised because he usually began their visits by examining Luna.

Before Olivia could ask her question, the doctor began;

"I know you are anxious, so let me just say it; your daughter is in complete remission."

Olivia smiled, "complete remission?"

"Yes, all the sign and symptoms of her cancer have disappeared, which is amazing, I expected remission but not complete remission so congratulations."

"Wow, I mean, I just can't believe this is finally over," she turned to Luna, "Did you hear that sugar bun? No more cancer."

She peppered her with kisses all over her face. Dr. Porpentine laughed as he watched them interact.

"As a doctor, I must remind you that the cancer can come back."

Olivia smiled.

"Just let me have this moment."

He smiled back at her.

"Of course. We'll talk details on your next visit but for now only good news - well, I'm gonna let you go now, you can share the good news with your family."

Olivia left the hospital shortly after, she had been expecting the news but actually hearing him say it, drastically changed her mood. She was happy but she wasn't exactly sure who to call. She was angry with Abby, so she wasn't going to call her, she was pissed at Fitz so she wasn't going to call him, in the end she decided to just go home and share the news with Bonnie.

She had been come for a couple hours, when Abby opened the door with her key and walked in. "Uhm, what are you doing here?" Olivia asked surprised.

"I'm here to see my god daughters."

"After the shit you pulled with Fitz, I don't want you near them, I don't trust that you won't run and tell him every little thing that happens."

Abby rolled her eyes.

"I only did that because you were wrong, I know you don't like to hear it but were wrong Olivia, he's their father and you need to let him be apart of their lives just as much as you are."

"Did you know that he wants to file for full custody, he wants them 7 days a week now and I'd get visitation, if I'm lucky."

Olivia's voice began to tremble.

"He took my dignity, he took my peace of mind, he broke my heart and now he's taking my kids and you're helping him! Whose side are you? Huh Abby because if it's not mine, I need to know. You're suppose to be my friend remember, not his!"

"I didn't know he would try and do that."

"That's why you should have mind your business," Olivia snapped.

"If he wants to take it to court, then we'll fight him."

"You know what he told me last night; there isn't a judge in the country who wouldn't grant him full custody just so he could owe them a favor and you know what? He's right. He's doesn't even need to file to establish paternity because all he'll need is a statement from Dr. Porpentine saying that he was tested as a related donor for Luna."

"I'll go talk to him," Abby offered apologetically.

"No, you've done enough."

Bonnie was a little shocked, Olivia was private and after almost a year of working with her, that was the most she'd ever heard Olivia speak on her private life.

"I'm sorry, Liv, I didn't mean for him to try and take them away from you, I just wanted them to have their father in their life."

"Abby, whatever is going on between me and Fitzgerald and the decision I make regarding how much I want him in their life is none of your business."

"I thought I was doing what was best for the girls but now I see that I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Olivia sighed.

"It's alright, I guess you wouldn't be Abby if you weren't messing around in my business."

"I really am sorry though,"

Olivia sat back on the couch.

"I forgive you and I'm sorry for yelling at you, I just sort of had that building up."

"Ehh it's okay, better out than in right?"

"I guess."

Abby sat beside her, Bonnie excused herself to the nursery.

"So what are you gonna do about the whole custody thing? Are you sure you don't want me to talk to him?"

"No, I think you've done enough," Olivia said with a humorless chuckle.

"So what do we do then?"

"I'm really not sure, I sort of had a plan for if this happened but it's very extreme and I only want to do it if I absolutely have no other choice."

"That bad huh?"

"Yea, he'll definitely never forgive me and it's not the most moral thing I could've done but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Okay well whatever it is, I'm in."


	23. Chapter 23

Olivia began sifting around her apartment, she had so much she needed to get done. She needed to leave Bonnie severance money since she wouldn't have a job anymore, she needed to let the guys know that she would be leaving. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't exactly sure how long she would be able to hide from Fitzgerald on her own but there was one person he was sure that could disappear her, one person she couldn't stand but if asking him for help meant she got to keep her kids then that was what she could have to do. She debated whether or not she really wanted to involve him but there really was no choice. She pulled out her cell and dialed the numbers slowly, she put the phone to her ears and waited for him to pick up. He picked up on the first ring, as if he knew she would be calling.

"Olivia, I thought you said you never wanted to see or hear from me again, what changed your mind sweet child of mine?"

She could hear his sardonic chuckles over the phone.

"I need your help."

"You do?"

"Rowan, if you aren't going to help me don't waste my time."

"No, I'll help you. What do you need?"

"I need to disappear, can you help me to do that?"

"It depends, from who?"

"Someone who can find me if I don't do it right."

"How soon do you need to go?"

"Tonight."

"Okay, there will be a car in the garage of your apartment tonight."

"Rowan, I have two other -"

"Oh you mean my sweet grand daughters, I know."

Olivia was surprised that he knew but she didn't show it.

"What time?"

"8pm sharp."

He hung up without another word.

Abby walked into the living room, "who was that?" She asked.

"No one," she lied.

She went over to her computer to cancel the flights she'd booked, there was no need for them now.

The girls had been up for some time now, thankfully Abby was keeping them busy so she could take care of a few things. She wrote Bonnie a very generous severance check, she took care of a few legal matters in regard to OPA and who would be at the helm since she was leaving, she packed her clothes, not very much, just about two weeks worth. All her nice things would have to stay back, eventually she'd ask Abby to pack them up and put them in storage or send them to wherever she was depending on whether or not she thought it was safe to do so.

It was almost time for her to go, she had two duffel bags packed for her and the girls. She had all important documents in her handbag, she usually kept about 10k worth of cash in her apartment, she took that with her as well, along with all her cards and banking information. Five minutes before the car was scheduled to arrive, she headed down.

Exactly a 8pm, a car entered the garage, an all black Suv with tinted windows. The door opened and she threw the duffel bags in and carefully placed the car seats inside and then entered as well. Rowan sat in the opposite side from her and the girls.

"Hello Olivia, it's nice to see you after all these years and I can't believe you've been keeping my gorgeous grand daughters from me."

"Rowan, I'm really not in the mood."

From then on, silence enveloped them. Rowan stared at the girls intently until about 45 minutes later, the car came to a stop.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Of the coast of Brazil, there is a small private island, you can stay there, Rio de Janeiro is 35 minutes away by speedboat, the workers on the island will take care of you and my grand daughters, when they are old enough to go to school, if you still need to be hidden then we'll talk."

"You have a private island?" She asked a little surprised.

He nodded.

"There is a jet waiting on the runway for you."

"Why are you being so nice to me? After all this time, why are you helping me?"

"I screwed up with you, I'll admit that and after all these years I'm just hoping I can get a chance to be better with my grand daughters."

"So you've known about them all along?"

"I have, yes."

"And you know who their father is?"

"I do, yes."

Olivia was perplexed.

"So no speech?"

"No. Just promise me you'll think about giving me a chance to get to know them."

"As long as you do the work that you do, I don't want you around them, when you retire or quit, I'll be more than happy to give you a chance to be in their lives."

He helped her out of the car and unto the jet.

* * *

Tom walked into the Oval Office. It was still a mess from earlier but the aide did their best to make it look a little more decent.

"Sir, she left the apartment an hour ago."

Fitz looked up from the documents he was reading. He'd spent the entire day making sure everything was prepared for the girls to be able to stay.

"She got on a private jet with your daughters."

"She what? And you let her go?"

"She was accompanied by guards, I didn't want any confrontation with your daughters involved? I have the FAA tracking the flight, once it lands we'll know where she is."

Fitz calmed down.

"Okay thanks Tom," Tom nodded and made his exit.

* * *

Ten hours later Olivia landed in hot and humid Rio de Janeiro. A car was there to drop her to the oceanfront and once she got there, a boat was ready to take her to the island. She briefly thought about what impact changing environments would have on Luna but she decided to fight one battle at a time. It was a smooth ride to the island, it last half hour just as Rowan said. The girls were asleep again, they had woken up in the plane and played and screamed and giggled until they fell asleep again then woke up again and then once again, there were sleep.

The island was beautiful, the sand was white, the water was blue and the air was clear. Banana and coconut trees were abundant. There was a beach house, a modern one, the front was mostly made of glass. The man who waited for her at the marina took her bags off the boat and then took the car seats off the boats and brought them to the porch with two sleeping girls inside them and then he came back and helped her off. She wasn't sure if he spoke English so she decided to thank him in Portuguese.

"Obrigado"

He looked back and nodded.

"Sem problemas."

She walked into the house with the car seats on both arms. There was huge open space, everything was light and open. There was a huge bed in the middle of the room, she took the girls out of their car seat and laid them on the bed, she would have to figure out a way to get a crib for them but for now the bed would have to do. Lana was a wild sleeper so she would have to watch them carefully. She put pillows at the sides of the bed just in case. When she was finished, she took a look around the house. She cabinets were stocked with food but nothing appropriate for babies so she made a mental note to take care of that, luckily she packed all the baby food she could manage to carry with her so she would be okay for a while. She was tired from all the traveling and pretty soon, she was right beside the girls in the bed, fast asleep.

* * *

Fitz sat in his chair laughing uncontrollably. He couldn't help it, his life was hilarious. It was funny when he heard Olivia ran off with his children, it was even funnier when he found out she went to Brazil and now that it was five days later and Tom still couldn't tell him where exactly in Brazil she was, it was absolutely hilarious.

"Sir, we know she is in Rio but I just need a couple more days to find her exact location, my guys in Rio are doing their best."

Fitz decided that after 5 days of screaming at him, it wasn't helping.

"Thank you Tom, keep me posted."

"I will sir," Tom nodded and headed out.

Fitz was getting frustrated, it had been almost a week and still no sign of her or the girls. He felt a little defeated and sad that Olivia would just skip town with them but also angry that she was being so immature and selfish. He had no desire to keep them away from her, he just needed to actually have a serious conversation with her. He had hoped if nothing else, after he served her she would take him serious and try to mediate but it did the complete opposite.

The next evening when he was on his way to the residence, he heard someone jogging behind him and turned around. It was Tom.

"Sir we found her."

Fitz stepped back.

"How?" he hadn't expected to hear that anytime soon.

"I had an arrangement with the head of police in Rio, for an undisclosed sum of money, he have all his officers a copy of her photo and told them to keep an eye out for her. A squad of officers found her at the marina in Rio a few hours. I warned them not to engage but to follow if they found her and they did just that. She's staying at a private island 35 minutes off the coast of Brazil."

"Who else is on the island?"

"Just local people, from what the officer reported, they seem to be handy people who work on the island."

Fitz took a moment to think.

"Tom, I'm going to Brazil tomorrow to get my children, can you make the proper arrangements."

"Absolutely sir, I'll get everything in order, I'll try to keep everything under wraps as much as possible."

"Thanks Tom, I really appreciate everything you've done to help me."

Tom gave him his usual nod and took off.

Fitz let out a sigh of relief. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep so he turned straight around and head back to the oval, the trip to brazil was going to take him off schedule for at least two days so he figured he could try to take care of much work as possible.

He dozed off around 1 in the morning in the oval and woke up at 3:30. He went to the residence and showered. He threw on some khaki chinos and a t shirt and waited on the balcony for one of his guards to come and get him.

* * *

Olivia dressed the girls in their matching bathing suits. She wore a white string bikini. Lais, one of the helpers on the island was going to take her on a walk around the island. The island wasn't exactly as small as Rowan had made it out to be, it was huge for a private island. The was a small hill in the middle of the island with a waterfall that flowed into a small pond, when Lais told Olivia about the waterfall, Olivia immediately asked for a tour. She wondered how Rowan could afford an island of this size but she knew every time she asked him questions, she didn't like the answers.

She walked the island with Lais and her son Roberto, they were the main ones who took care of the island. Lais carried Lana and Olivia walked with Luna on her hip, they stopped by the coconut trees and Roberto stopped and chopped coconuts for them so they could drink the water inside. Luna loved the coconut water and Olivia ended up having to ask Roberto to get her another one. They walked up the paved path on the hill and stopped again when they reached the banana grove, the trees weren't that big so Olivia was able to reach up and pick bananas for her and the girls. They walked further up the hill and until they reached the bottom of the waterfall. Olivia was awed by how beautiful it was. It was something out of the stock photos you found online. There lychee trees, mango trees, strawberry, blueberry and raspberry trees scattered all around the pond. She sat by the pond in held Lana and Luna so their feet were in the water. They played and giggled and kicked their feet in the water. She was careful with Luna, even though she allowed her to put her feet in the water, she kept it away from her face. The doctor gave her the okay to return to normal activities but she still needed to be cautious, especially since there were in Brazil and she hadn't found a replacement doctor for Luna as yet. She fed them mangoes and bananas as they played and pretty soon they were both asleep in her arms.

"I think it's time to get back," she said to Roberto and Lais.

"Okay, go back," Lais said in her thick Brazilian accent.

She walked over and took Lana from Olivia and Roberto helped Olivia up from the rock she was sitting on.

They made their way back down the trail. As they were walking Olivia heard the sound of either a plane or loud boat, she wasn't sure but it sounded very close.

"Did you hear that?" She asked both Roberto and Lais.

"Yes, airport close." Roberto answered. His English wasn't as good as Lais'.

The airport was close and she heard planes flying over all the time but that one was just a little louder. She pondered and decided to let it go.

The walk on the trail wasn't very long, especially when they were going down hill. She was back down by the beach within half an hour. The first thing she noticed was a seaplane parked on the shallow water. At first she didn't know what to think, there was no one on the plane. She thought that there was no way he could've found her, it had only been a week. She turned to Lais and pointed to the plane. Lais shrugged and shook her head signaling that she had no idea why it was there.

She took Lana from Lais and thanked them for a fun day then told them to go home.

She told herself it could just be Rowan but she knew exactly who it was. She hoped she was wrong and that it was anyone else in the world except for him but either way, she was going to find out. 'He probably sent Tom to come and get them,' she thought to herself, 'there is no way he could make it here himself.' She walked up the porch with both sleeping toddlers in her arms. She left the front doors open when she left for the hike earlier and they were still open. At first glance nothing seemed different, she didn't hear any noise indicating that anyone was inside the house. She walked over to the crib she bought for the girls days earlier and placed them inside. She quickly and quietly removed the bathing suits and left them in diapers. She turned around to check to see if anyone was in the house but before she could move Luna laughed in her sleep. It was a loud and immediately she heard footsteps coming her way from the back of the house.


	24. Chapter 24

Fitz stepped out from behind the screen. Olivia was shocked that he would actually come here himself but she didn't let it show. Immediately after he stepped out, so did 6 other agents.

She immediately felt outnumbered and her defenses shot up. Fitz looked angry, angrier than she'd ever seen him in a long time. He was tense and coiled like a tiger. She'd never thought he would be capable of physically hurting her but in that moment, she wasn't sure. She felt his guards staring at her, some of the noble ones like Tom stared everywhere except at her but other were blatantly staring at her breast or crotch which wasn't helping the situation considering that she was only in her bikini.

The tension in the room was thick. All 6 guards stood waiting for Fitz's commanded.

"Get the car seat Tom, we're taking them."

Fitz walked over to the crib.

"You are not taking my kids anywhere."

Fitz completely ignored her. He shifted around the room for clothes for the girls.

"You are not taking my kids," Olivia said a little louder.

Fitz didn't respond. He found a bag with some of their clothes in it and walked back over to the crib and began dressing them.

"Don't touch them."

She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from them.

"Derek," Fitz called, he was still completely ignoring her.

The agent walked over and pulled Olivia away from the crib and wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly so she couldn't move. She tried to fight but it was no use, Derek had at least a foot on her and he was one of the bulkier agents.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed.

It was so loud that both the girls shuffled in their sleep.

Fitz looked at Derek and instantly Olivia felt a hand over her mouth. She tried screaming again but only muffled sounds came out. Fitz got both the girls ready, Luna woke up briefly but went back to sleep. He strapped them in their car seat and began packing a few things for the trip.

Olivia got so frustrated and angry that she started crying. She felt completely helpless.

Fitz took both car seats and gave them to Tom. Tom took the sleeping babies to the seaplane and prepared to take off with two other agents and the pilot as Fitz instructed. Fitz closed the door and Derek let her go almost simultaneously and headed outside. Olivia walked over to the door and tried to pass but Fitz wouldn't let her.

"Where are you taking my babies?"

There was something about the way she said 'my babies' or 'my kids' that always got to Fitz. She said it as if he had absolutely no claim to them. Tonight was the night they were going to hash out everything that was going on between them, that was the only reason that he wasn't on the plane with the twins, they needed to fix it once and for all and if after tonight they couldn't agree to share custody then he made up his mind that he was going to take them regardless of how Olivia felt.

"I know you do that on purpose. You emphasis that they are your kids and your babies and your daughters just to remind me how unimportant you think I am."

"You just stormed in here with half a dozen guards and took my kids. Do you really think I care about how you feel right now?"

"They are not your kids. They are our kids and I wouldn't have had to take them if you didn't run away with them. What were you thinking by the way? Taking them all the way to Brazil especially considering the fact that Luna is in remission. Did you think that taking her to a foreign country was smart? Are you thinking Olivia? Because this isn't you?"

"They are not yours, you didn't carry them for 8 months, you didn't give birth to them, I did, so they are mine and they will always be mine. I took them to Brazil because if I hadn't you would have taken them from me. You think you can just come into our lives and control everything," she cried.

"So because I want to see my kids, I'm controlling? You know that I wasn't going to take them. All is asked for were the weekends. When are you going to stop playing the victim?"

"You just ordered your guard to restrain me and cover my mouth while you had Tom take my kids. There are seven of you and one of me, what the fuck am I supposed to do."

"You know I'd never hurt you but I couldn't have you fighting me while I was trying to get them ready."

"You'd never hurt me, what do you think you've been doing for the past two years, you broke my heart Fitz, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?"

"I meant it when I said I was sorry. If I could take it back I would but I can't, all I can do is apologize and never do it again," his voice was softer.

"If you really mean that then you won't take them from me."

He walked closer.

"I was never going to take them and you'd be lying if you said you didn't know that. I just got the court order because I thought maybe it would scare you into letting me see them and if I'm being honest I was a little scared after what you told me about the DNA test, I kind of panicked. I don't want to fight with you anymore Olivia, I just want all of this back and forth to be over so we can take care of the girls together."

Fitz tried to touch her but she fanned his hand away.

"Don't touch me."

He moved closer and tried to get her to look at him.

"Olivia I-"

All Fitz felt was a hand to his jaw.

She slapped him and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure why she did it. Fitz shook his head and chuckled humorlessly. He didn't care that she slapped him, it didn't hurt. He was just tired of her bratty, selfish attitude.

"So I guess we won't be doing this amicably, I'll see you in D.C."

He turned around to leave.

"Don't leave," she walked over to him to try to stop him.

"Olivia I don't know what you want from me, I really don't. I've been trying, I really have but I'm tired of fighting with you, it's draining and it's stressful and I'm done."

The tears started to well up again.

"I know, I'm sorry okay, just don't leave. I don't know why I'm so angry with you all the time but I'll be better. I'll give you weekends and I'll put you on the birth certificate."

"And you'll let me pay child support?"

"And I'll let you pay child support," she agreed.

"And you won't change your mind once we get back to DC."

"No I won't."

He faced her fully, he tried to ignore the fact that she was half naked as he had been doing all evening and proceeded. Her mood swings were really getting to him, he needed to figure out what her problem was.

"Why are you so angry with me?"

She looked up at him.

"I don't know."

"It can't just be because I left so just be honest with me."

Olivia sighed.

"I feel like if we try to do this co-parenting thing then I'm completely gonna fall for you again not that I ever stopped - and if things go south again...I don't know maybe my anger was just how I was protecting myself from getting hurt again," Fitz was confused as to what she was saying and so was Olivia .

He was about to say something but she cut him off.

"What I'm saying is I'm not under any delusions that you've been celibate for the past two years so if you are seeing someone and the girls are gonna be around them you should just let me know."

Fitz smiled but he was actually a little annoyed at her.

"So you've been acting crazy and running half way around the world from me because you think I'm dating?"

She didn't reply.

"I haven't been dating anyone Liv, I haven't had sex with anyone since you so if that was your reason to convince yourself to run from me then you should just stop running right now."

"I'm not an idiot Fitz, I know you have a high sex drive, you are borderline suffering from satyromania, you expect me to believe you haven't been with anyone since we conceived the twins?"

"Yea, that's absolutely what I expect you to believe because I haven't."

"That's almost two years."

"Trust me, I know."

Fitz paused.

"Have you been with anyone?"

"Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I don't know, your the one walking around looking fresh off of a boob job, you're bound to get attention from guys."

She slapped his arm and covered her breast.

"Stop it, I'm conscious about them enough as it. I didn't expect them to get this big after I gave birth."

"Really? Because that bikini is saying otherwise."

"I bought this here, you know how it is in Brazil, it was either this or a thong or nothing"

"You should've went with nothing," he chuckled.

"Yea, I'm sure you would've like that."

"I would have."

Things got awkward. Fitz almost forgot why he came there in the first place.

"Uhm so I'm gonna shower so we can leave or are you gonna leave me here?"

"I had no plans of leaving you here, go shower, I'll have them bring the other plane around."

Olivia ran to the bathroom. Pulled off her string bikini and as she knew it; wet. 'He always does this to me' she thought to herself. She showered quickly and threw on a pair of Levi's high-rise jean shorts. She threw on a t shirt and then went to find Fitz.

By the time she finished showering, Derek brought the second seaplane that was parked around the other side of the island to the front of the villa. She grabbed a few things for herself and met Fitz in front of the beach house.

"Have the girls left as yet?"

"Yes."

"Can Tom take care of them on a 10 hour flight?"

"Of course not, Karen's nanny was waiting for them on the jet. She's with them."

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"You thought of everything, didn't you?"

"I tried to."

"Before we leave here Liv, is everything okay between us?"

She turned to face him.

"I think it will be. I'm really sorry about keeping them from you, I never thought I'd be one of those mom but it turns out I'm no better."

"No, you are a great mom, everybody gets a little crazy sometimes just promise me your crazy days are over."

She chuckled.

Derek signaled that the plane was ready. Fitz took her bag as they walked down the beach to the plane. Derek stood on the shore waiting for them to board. As Olivia was about to step onto the plane she stop and punched Derek in the stomach.

"That was for holding me back and covering my mouth. Do not ever touch me again, I don't care if Fitz tells you to, I don't even care if God tells you to. You got it?"

"Yes ma'am."

Derek seemed unfazed by the punch but Olivia was just happy to get her point across. It was a quick ride back to the private airstrip where AF1 grounded in Rio.

The flight back was quick, as quick as 9 and a half hours could go by with all the sexual tension and awkwardness that was between her and Fitz. Once they touched down in DC., And got into the car Olivia realized they still needed to talk about a couple of things.

"So I'm guessing the girls are at the White House?"

"Yes."

"So, how does this work it's not the weekend so do you drop them back to me or?"

"Considering that fact that I haven't seen them in over two weeks, I think I can have a few extra days till the weekend."

"That wasn't apart of the deal."

"No but I think it's fair."

"Okay, I guess it's fair. Just call me and let me know what's going on with them okay."

"Thanks and I'll call you an annoying amount of times."

"Alright."

"Oh and before I forget, I rented out six flags for a day as a treat for Karen. Since school is out, I was going to fly her and her friends out to magic mountain next weekend and I wanted to take the girls with me and I wanted you to come. Is that something you'd be up for?"

"You rented out a theme park?"

"Yea, Karen's been asking for months and I think she deserves it."

"But if she went with her friends and a dozen guards you wouldn't have to rent the entire thing."

"I know but she wants me and the twins to be there so I figured better safe than sorry."

"Okay."

"Are you gonna come?"

"Yes, I'll come, my babies aren't going at the way to California without me."

Fitz eyed her.

"Our babies, I'm sorry it's the protective momma bear in me, it's not on purpose."

He eyed her again.

"At first it was on purpose but now it's not. Quit interrogating me and take me home, I'm tired."

He chuckled.

"Alright."

They rode silently for a while. Olivia had a few things to get off her chest. Fitz was staring absently through the tinted window. He looked so handsome that she stopped and stared at him for a while.

"Fitz there are a few more thing we have to talk about."

He turned and faced her.

"Oh yea."

"Yes, you have two twins at the White House, the press is gonna find out pretty soon, they'll speculate at first but when I show up to six flags next week then they'll know."

"So let them know, they'll figure it out soon enough."

"People are going to say horrible racist, bigoted and downright cruel things about them. The press is going to hound them, they won't be able to live with me anymore, not if I want them to be safe. They'll have to be at the White House, so where does that leave me because I have no plans of living anywhere other than with my girls."

"You're Olivia Pope, when you decided to have them you know that everyone finding out was a possibility but you wanted them more, right?"

"Right."

"People will find out, their mine Liv, there is no denying that and I don't want them to be a secret, I don't want you to be a secret. You have no idea how grateful I am that you gave me the gift of two out of three of my beautiful daughters."

He paused.

"This is my life. I want them to be apart of it. It'll be hard at first, it's gonna be the only thing the press will talk about for weeks, maybe months but once it's done, it'll be done. We'll settle into a routine and then we can raise our daughters together."

"You make it sound so simple."

"It won't be but I don't want our daughters to grow up thinking I don't love them. Plus it's better to get it out they way know when they are young and won't know what's happening."

He held her hand in his and kissed it.

"Well face this together, it'll be okay."

"What if they try to impeach you?"

"For having kids after I was divorced with someone who doesn't work at the whitehouse?"

Olivia chuckled.

"I guess your right."

"Have a little faith Livie, it'll all work out."


	25. Chapter 25

Fitz knocked on Olivia's door with Lana on

one arm and Luna on the other. Olivia ran to the door on the first knock and opened it widely. She had been having severe separation anxiety for the past four days and she couldn't wait to have them back. It was the first time she been away from them since they were born and it's wasn't as easy as she thought it would've been.

Both girls stretched to her the moment the door opened. Olivia took them both and showered them with kisses.

"My babies, mommy missed you so so much."

Fitz walked in behind her and closed the door behind him. He had a folder in his hand.

"Did you have fun strawberry shortcake?" Olivia asked Lana.

Fitz smiled. Olivia always came up with the craziest food names for them: peach cobbler, turkey leg, chicken wing, sugar bun, gum drop, it was endless.

Lana pointed to Fitz, " baba," she said with pacifier hanging out of her mouth.

"Yes, baba, did you have fun with Baba?" Lana clapped in response.

"What about you mooncakes, did you have fun with dada and Karen?" Luna giggled and clapped too.

"Kaka,"

Olivia chuckled.

"What's Karen been up to?" She asked Fitz.

"Nothing, she's going to day camp which she loves and having slumber parties in the evenings with her friends."

"Did she have fun with the girls this weekend?"

"Oh you know how Karen is, she went crazy. She dressed them up and had parties, I practically had to beg her for time with them,"

Olivia smiled.

"How was your weekend?" he asked.

"Uhm, I went clubbing, hooked up with a few guys, I got an std scare but thankfully the test came back negative. I almost got a dui unfortunately but other than that it was pretty calm."

"That's not funny."

"How do you think it went, I missed my babies. It's the first time leaving them for such a long time, it wasn't easy. I also had time to think about how crazy I've been for the past month and I'm still really embarrassed about that. I rehired my nanny and listen to Abby talk my ear off."

"It sounds eventful and I know it wasn't easy for you to leave the girls, I mean you called practically every hour," he teased.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind at all, I'm just grateful you let me see them and you can come to the White House and see them whenever I have them."

"Really?"

"Yea, of course."

Olivia smiled.

"You can come and see them when I have them on the weekdays too."

"Thanks I thought I was gonna be banned since I get them on the weekends now."

"No, they need their father, I won't get in the way of that anymore."

Olivia noticed the folder.

"What do you have in your hand?"

Fitz looked down.

"Oh yea, just some paperwork. To put my name on the birth certificate and child support etc, I wanted us to go through them together."

"Uhm okay, let me just take off their shoes and stuff so they can play," Fitz nodded.

Olivia was back in a few minutes, with some documents of her own.

"What's that?" Fitz asked.

"Nothing, just their old birth certificate and a couple other things. It'll be easier to file if you have them."

She took a seat beside him.

"Okay so what do we have here?"

"So this is the child support agreement, let's get this one out the way first."

"Okay."

"So, I added them to the same trust that I have Karen on, which is 1 billion each once it's matured. It matures on their 30th birthday or when I die, in which case they'll get whatever I will to them."

He spoke about his death so nonchalantly that it made Olivia uneasy.

"That being said, I set up a separate account, I put one million in it just to take care of day to day expenses, rent, bills, the nanny, clothes, etc. for you and them. I'll add money to it monthly, 50 grand, if you need more let me know. All the information for that account is here so you should hold on to that."

Fitz flipped to the next page.

"This is the document to add me in the birth certificate, I already filled out the portions that have anything to do with me but there are some parts that you need to complete."

Fitz handed her the paper.

"You want their names changed to Grant?"

"Is that an issue for you?" He asked.

"Luna Nova Grant and Lana Yona Grant, Pope sounds better but whatever."

"I meant to ask you how you came up with their names?"

"Okay well Luna Nova, it means new moon and Lana Yona means little harmonious dove."

"Nice, you really thought those through huh?"

"I knew they were going to be identical twins but I wanted their names to be opposite even though they were so similar sounding, Lana's name is more earthy and Luna's is more celestial."

"Well, you did good," Fitz complimented.

Olivia read through the papers and starting filling out the information.

"Don't you think the trust and account is a bit much?" She said casually as she wrote the information of the paper.

"No, you've got to be paying at least 5 grand a month for the nanny alone plus rent, which maybe another 6 grand a month plus you bought a car to drive them around, that's at least another 60 grand, for that car at least, if my math is right, that's almost 200,000 in this last year."

"Okay."

Once she finished filling out the papers she handed them to him.

"I want you to sign this, acknowledging me as their father."

She looked at him and then took the paper and read through it.

"You know your their father,"

"I do but after what you told me about Stephen, I want to take make sure you can't use that fake DNA test."

She started signing her name on the paper.

"I guess I deserve this."

They heard crying and looked over to the girls. Olivia ran over and pulled Lana off of Luna.

"Don't take your sister's pacifier sweetie." Olivia took the pacifier from Lana and handed it back to Luna and kissed them both.

"You're great mother."

"Are you sure? That court document ordering me to hand them over said I was neglectful."

"I asked the judge to make up something, I didn't know what he came up with till after they sent it to you. I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings."

"It did but it's in the past, I'm over it."

She looked up at him.

"Any more documents?"

"Custody agreement and that's it."

Olivia read through and signed.

"Done."

"Okay, since it's okay for me to see them during the week, I'll just call and let you know when I plan on stopping by."

"Okay."

"On Friday afternoon, once they round up Karen's friends they should be leaving to California by 3pm. They'll be traveling on a private plane, I'll follow on Air Force 1 a little later, are you gonna travel with Karen and her friends or with me?"

"A bunch of screaming pre teens talking about Justin bieber and one direction, I think I'll pass, me and the girls will travel with you in the evening."

"Great," Fitz said a little to excitedly.

"Last thing, uhm I wanted you and the girls to have a detail, just as a precaution."

"I don't want a detail."

"Liv please, they'd wear plain clothes if you want, they won't talk to you or bother you. I just want to have peace of mind when I'm not around you."

"I don't want a detail Fitz."

"What if something happens that could've been prevented if you had a detail but you said no. Once I file this paperwork, the fact that I'm their father will come out inevitably and when that happens we'll need security."

Fitz knew that playing on her conscience would make her more agreeable.

"You're doing that on purpose but fine."

He smiled.

"Thank you, let me say bye to the girls and then get out of here."

He got up and walked over to their play area and dropped to his knees and stretched his arms so they could come to him. They walked clumsily into his arms and he lifted them both into the air. He kissed their stomachs and they giggled wildly.

"Dada"

Fitz laughed.

"We made some cute babies Liv."

She blushed as she remembered the night they conceived the twins.

Fitz walked over to the door. Olivia grabbed all the paperwork and walked up behind him. He kissed the girls goodbye and he handed the girls to Olivia and she handed him the paperwork.

Out of the blue, Fitz gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight Liv, take care of my beautiful daughters."

Olivia came home from OPA a little after 6pm. She called Bonnie and managed to get her back to work after explaining in very little detail why she left in the first place. Bonnie offered her the severance check she had written her but Olivia decided to let her keep it. She started working at OPA again, she worked everyday except for Wednesday, which was the day she brought the girls to the doctor. Fitz came over almost every night during the week. They mostly watched the girls play and talk about everything except for what they really wanted to talk about which was the question of their relationship. Not their relationship as parents to the girls but their romantic relationship, that had been put on hold for almost two years. What was to come of that? Olivia was nervous to talk about it and so was Fitz, a lot had transpired between them.

"Hey Bonbon, did you pack the stuff for the girls?" She asked as she walked through the door.

"Yes, Olivia, I packed up everything for them. I gave them a bath and fed them already."

"Thank you so much Bon, you can head out, just let me shower first."

"Sure, no worries."

Olivia hurried to the bathroom and took a quick shower. She threw on some yoga leggings and a white crew neck. By the time she was done, Fitz called to let her know he was on his way. She managed to get the girls to settle down enough to put them in their car seat and within 20 minutes Fitz was knocking her door. He helped her down to the car and they were off.

Once Air Force one was in the air, they went to the cabin. Olivia took the girls from their car seat and laid them in the bed beside her. She saw Fitz across the room, removing his jacket and tie then he walked over to the bed and laid on the other side beside Luna who was barely awake.

"Come on Livie, they're waiting for you to tell them a story."

She smiled and decided to come up with something quick.

"Once upon a time there were two beautiful mermaid princesses named Marella and Muriel. One day when the princesses were out playing with their mer-friends and a great big current caught them a carried them miles and miles away, into the middle of the deep blue ocean. They were scared because they had no friends or family with them. They were hungry and sad and they wanted to go home…"

Olivia looked over to Fitz and the girls and all three of them were knocked out cold.

"Wow, so it was that boring huh?" she chuckled to herself and went over to the couch to grab the throw blanket and covered Fitz and the girls and watched them sleep for a while until she succumbed to sleep as well.

The next morning, Fitz woke her at 6am.

"Come in Liv, we have a good little drive to Valencia."

She yawned.

"What time is it?"

"It's 6:13, we have to be out of here by 7."

She sat up.

"I'm up."

She brushed her teeth and showered quickly. She looked around for the girls but they were gone. She heard chatter in the kitchen so she headed downstairs to see what was going on. She walked down the grand staircase and headed to the kitchen. They were about 10 little girls that were running around in bathing suits trying to get ready for their day at 6 flags. She saw faces she'd never seen before. Titi had both Lana and Luna in her hands as she seemed to be scolding Fitz. There was a huge breakfast spread that the little girls were picking food from. She took a deep breath and walked over and made her presence known by clearing her throat.

Both Titi and Fitz turned around.

"I can't believe Fitzgerald kept my beautiful grandchildren from me for almost a year!"

"Titi, I didn't want to."

"Shut it young man, there is no excuse for not telling me about my grandchildren."

"Yes ma'am."

She walked over to Olivia and hugged her.

"Welcome to the family, I just hate that it took Thomas this long to let me know what was going on. Don't worry sweetie, I don't blame you."

She walked back over to Fitz.

"I didn't even get to see her when she was pregnant. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry Titi."

She slapped his arm.

"No excuses Thomas!" She scolded.

Tabitha walked walked over to Karen and the other girls and began rallying them together. Olivia sat on the stool beside Fitz.

"When did you tell her?"

"Wednesday."

"And she doesn't know that I didn't tell you in the beginning."

"Of course not, she'd kill me. Whether or not you told me, she expects me to have some spidey sense that tingles when I get someone pregnant," he chuckled.

"Who are all these people?"

"Who? Those women?" He pointed.

"Yeah."

"Those are Karen's old part time nannies. I asked them to supervise the kids on this trip."

"Oh okay."

Pretty soon, they were all on their way to magic mountain.

The drive lasted about 2 and a half hours. Titi stayed home, she said she was too old for the hassle of an amusement park. The suvs pulled up in the parking lot. Once they all exited the cars, they were greeted by the park manager. He gave them a brief speech and then they made their way in.

"Daddy thank you so much, if I forget to tell you later I had a great time," Karen gave him a hug and then ran off with her friends and her guards.

"Okay so what do we do now?" She asked.

He had Luna and Olivia had Lana.

"There must be a baby section right, where they have the cute little train rides."

"Let's go look for that," he suggested.

They walked the park. Olivia wore a short white summer dress with a bathing suit underneath. Fitz had on board shorts and a white t shirt. The girls wore matching Minnie Mouse bathing suits. Olivia could see workers staring at them in confusion. Wondering who she was, why she was walking so close to the president. Whose babies their were holding and why they looked so much like the president.

They found the baby park and stayed there for a while. Playing with the twins in the kiddie pool and on the baby rides. Every now and again Karen and her friends would run into them, tell them

How much fun they were having and then run off.

Lana and Luna were loving the park. After they finished taking them on rides. They went to play games. Fitz was really good at the games, especially the ones where he had to shoot something. He won four huge teddy bears, one for Olivia, Karen, Lana and Luna.

At lunch time, they stopped at Nathan's and grabbed hot dogs and burgers. Olivia fed Lana and Luna cotton candy and ice cream, which they loved. Her and Fitz ate fried Oreos and funnel cake. After lunch they watched a Sesame Street show by the outdoor theatre and before they knew it, it was time to go. They left the park by 5pm and got back to the ranch after 7. Everyone was exhausted. Fitz helped Olivia bathe the twins and put them down for their nap. Once he was done, he went to help with Karen and her friends.

Olivia went back to her room to grab a shower. She stripped naked and turned on the shower but the hot water wasn't running. She wrapped a towel around her body and walked down the hallway to find another bathroom. The good thing about the ranch was that it was so huge, Karen and her friends were on an entirely different wing of the house than her and Fitz. Even Titi was on a different wing. She checked room by room, trying to find a shower with hot water. She finally got to the master bedroom, which she was sure was Fitz's room but it was the only one with hot water and he was on the other wing of the house with Karen. She wrapped up her hair and hopped in the shower.

She thought about how much fun she had with Fitz and the twins. It felt normal and fun and it had been a long time since she had fun.

Fitz wrapped up with Karen and her friends and then headed back up to his room to shower. He was sweaty from the summer heat and wanted to shower in ice cold water.

He whistled absently as he walked up the stairs.

Olivia finally finished showering and turned off the faucet and stepped out the shower.

Fitz walked into the room and began undressing. He walked over to his closet and threw a towel over his shoulders and walked to the bathroom.

Olivia was dripping wet and there were no rugs on the floor so she carefully walked towards the door, she didn't want to slip on the tiled floor. She opened the bathroom door and walked right into Fitz and fell backwards with her legs wide open. Fitz lost his balance when she bumped into him and fell on top of her.

"Ouch."

They awkwardly stared at each for a few seconds until Fitz got up and then helped her up. As he was pulling her up both their towels fell off.

"Oops," Olivia chuckled nervously. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her body again but not before Fitz got an eyeful.

She ran back to her room and then stopped to take a breath.

She had so many thoughts running through her mind. Fitz was practically naked on top of her and he didn't react, he didn't make a pass or anything. 'Maybe he just doesn't find me attractive anymore because the Fitz I know would've never been able to resist me naked.'

She stepped in front of the mirror unwrapped her towel and let it fall to the floor. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror. 'I look good! It can't be me.' She thought to herself.

Fitz paced back and forth in his room. It took about three seconds after Olivia left the room for his erection to form. He was horny, so much so that he couldn't think straight. He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower to a cold as it could go but all he could smell in the bathroom was her scent so turned it off. He turned around and walked to Olivia's room butt naked. He stopped at the door and watched as she looked at herself in the mirror. She seemed to be assessing her body as if something was wrong with it. He walked over to her she didn't seem to notice him, not until he was behind her.

Olivia was so focused on herself in the mirror, she didn't realize Fitz was in the room until she felt him standing behind her. She didn't say anything, she wanted to see what he was going to do first. He was quiet for a while. It only made everything so much hotter. The hairs on her skin stood in anticipation of what he was going to do. Her nipples hardened and she salivated in between her thighs.

Suddenly Fitz picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She squealed and giggled as he carried her back to his room.

He locked the door behind him.

"Fitz what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're gonna have some fun."

She blushed.

"Fun?" She couldn't hide the smile that tugged on her lips.

Fitz stepped closer.

"Kiss me Olivia," it was a command, not a request.

She stretched up and got on the tip of her toes and shoved her tongue in his mouth. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They both lost themselves in the kiss and before he knew it he had her against the wall. They broke the kiss so they both could catch their breath. The anticipation of when he was going to enter her was killing her. She wasn't going to wait any longer. She kissed him hungrily and moved one of her hands from his neck and began stroking him.

Fitz broke the kiss and let her down. He hungrily kissed a line down her body and didn't stop until he was kneeling in front of her. He lifted one of her legs over his shoulder to open her up more. He slid his tongue up and down her wet folds and then attacked her clit, flicking the tip of his tongue over her bundle of nerves.

"Oh God Fitz right there."

She grabbed on to his hair and tried to hold of her fast approaching orgasm. He sucked on her clit until her legs began to tremble and she collapsed on top of him and they both fell to the floor. She was annoyed at how quickly she came.

He chuckled.

"It's gonna be a long night for you Olivia."

She was out of breath.

"Fitz I haven't had sex in almost two years, a long night is exactly what I need."

Fitz was kneeling and she got on all fours in front of him. She kissed down his torso and up his shaft. She could see how eager he was so she took him into her mouth. She worked up and down his length slowly, each time taking him further and further into her mouth. She did it until she could feel him at the back of her throat. She could hear Fitz's deep groans fill the room, it had been so long since she heard him groan, it was like music to her soul. She gently stroked his balls and she sucked him hard.

"Just Liv that Livie," he said breathlessly.

She sucked harder and faster and stared up at him and and never broke eye contact. Fitz was barely hanging on and it was taking everything in him to not burst in her mouth the minute she took him in. When he couldn't hold out any longer, he exploded into her mouth.

She gave him a minute to catch his breath and when he finally calmed down, he had a devilish grin on his face.

"Turn around and get on your knees."

Olivia did as she was told and got on her knees.

"Bend over and arch it for me baby."

Fitz kneeled behind her and watch as she bent over and gave him a perfect view. He slapped it.

"Yess daddy," Olivia moaned.

He spit on the tip of fingers and rubbed his saliva on his tip and then entered her slowly. He closed his eyes as her tightness swallowed him up.

"Oh shit! Do you have any idea how much I've missed you."

He listened as she panted then pulled back and entered her again and again and again. Each time her pushing her forward with the force of his thrust.

"Kiss me baby, I want you to kiss me," she begged.

Fitz pulled her back and she turned her face to him.

"You are never fucking leaving me again. You are mine. Do you understand me?"

Olivia nodded as she tried to catch her breath.

"I wanna hear you say it."

"I'm yours and I'm never leaving you again," she promised.

He gave her a slobbering, wet, open mouth kiss, all the while he never slowed or faltered the speed of his strokes. He stroked her deep and hard and slow and punctuated every thrust with a slap of a his balls against her clit.

Olivia erratic moans were muffled by his tongue in her mouth.

Fitz began thrusting faster. Olivia had to break the kiss so she could breathe. Fitz placed one hand around her waist and one on her back to hold her in place so she couldn't scoot away as he thrusted deeper into her.

"Give it to me daddy!"

Fitz stopped and turned her around and spread her legs open in front of him then hoisted her hips up toward him and then entered her again. He fucked her hard, as hard as he thought she could take it and watched as her breasts bounced up and down with each stroke.

Her legs hung loosely around his waist as she curled her toes.

"Baby I'm gonna cum for you,"

"Cum for me Livie, I wanna feel you cum all over my cock right now baby."

He leaned over so he was on top of her and kissed her. Within seconds Olivia was underneath Fitz writhing in ecstasy on the floor as she felt the pressure build up inside her core and then explode as she came fiercely, all the while moaning into Fitz's mouth. Fitz followed after and stiffened on top of her as his liquid erupted into her. Fitz's orgasm lasted longer than he'd ever experienced and once his body stopped convulsing, he collapsed on top of Olivia who was still immobile from her own powerful orgasm. They laid still on the floor for a while. Fitz realized that he must be heavy and finally found the resolve to get off of Olivia. He pulled out and eased off of her then drop to the side.

"I'm guessing only one round tonight?" Olivia teased.

Fitz chuckled.

"You guessed right. I'm done, I've got nothing left in the tank."

"But I want more," she whined.

"I'm old, leave me alone..."

Olivia laughed.

"Don't worry, my entire body feels like jello, I couldn't move if I wanted to, I don't even think I could make it to the bed," she chuckled.

"Oh I didn't plan to. This is where I'm sleeping."

She turned on her side and threw her leg over him. She leaned up so she could see his body and ran her fingers up and down his torso.

"I really missed you, you know. I missed moments like this."

"Of course you missed moments like this, I give it to you good," he teased.

She pinched his nipple.

"Ouch - actually that feels kinda good, do it again."

"I'm serious Fitz, that was amazing, I need that."

"It was. That blowjob rivaled your greatest hits and I'm talking about the days from the campaign trail."

She laughed.

"You remember when I sucked you off behind the screen at that campaign event in Florida."

He chuckled.

"Good times."

She sat up beside him and looked down at him, fully naked.

She saw his scar on his chest from where he was shot and kissed it softly. Fitz watched her and he could tell she had something on her mind. She ran her finger back and forth on the scar.

"What happened to you out there?"

He was hesitant to go into details but decided to tell her.

"It all happened really fast, one minute I was walking out of the car and waving to the crowd and then the next minute I'm in the middle of this gun battle."

"Were you scared?"

"Not at first. At first I reacted, tried to find cover, protect myself and those I could help but then I got shot. I felt the bullet pierce through my chest, it felt numb for about 5 seconds before there was pain but I didn't fully realize it until I looked down and saw all the blood. After that, I couldn't really breathe so I got dizzy. I got scared when I thought there was actually a chance that I would die, not because I'm afraid of death but because I couldn't leave things the way they were. Mellie would've gotten custody of Karen and god knows I don't want Mellie raising Karen and I thought about the way things ended with you and I couldn't leave things like that between us. As angry as I was at you at that time, I never stopped loving you and I thought to myself, 'if I make it out of this then I have to make things right with Olivia' but of course once I woke up whatever common sense a near death experience had given me had all but left."

He could see the tears welling up in her eyes and then they spilled down her cheeks. She kissed his scar again, this time she left her lips linger.

He cupped her cheeks and lifted her face so he could see her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I know now that you were put in a tough spot and it wasn't your fault. I just wish I would've heard you out sooner."

"I'm sorry too, I should've told you. There was no excuse not to, no matter how crazy things were and... keeping the girls from you, I was wrong. I was so so wrong and hope eventually you can forgive me and trust me again," Fitz leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips and then broke it.

"I love you."

She smiled and snuggled by his side.

"I love you too."

They were quiet for a while. Olivia couldn't tell if Fitz was sleeping.

"Hey Fitz?" She whispered.

"Yes."

"Are you ready for round 2?"

Fitz leaned up and pulled her on top of him and flashed her his signature boyish grin.

"You are on."


	26. Chapter 26

Olivia felt like someone was watching her in her sleep and she opened to see Tabitha standing a few feet away with Lana and Luna in her hips. A wide smile burst across her face and instantly Olivia was flushed with embarrassment. Fitz stretched and sat up only to see Tabitha as well. They were naked under the sheets and it was obvious.

"Titi," he said surprised.

"Looks like you two had fun last night."

Olivia covered her face with the blanket and hid.

"Breakfast is ready," Tabitha said with a smile.

Lana giggled and clapped as Tabitha walked them out of the room and closed the door.

Fitz laughed and pulled the sheet from Olivia's face.

"Good morning," he said as he kissed her.

"Oh my god, I can't believe she saw us."

Fitz shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, it's just Titi."

Olivia chuckled and sat up.

"Lana was laughing at us too."

Fitz laughed.

"Yeah, she a little troublemaker."

Fitz yawned and stretched and stood up from their makeshift bed on the floor. He took Olivia's hand and pulled her up as well and they both walked to the bathroom. She stepped in front of the mirror and looked over her appearance which wasn't too bad, she had a serious case of bedhead and a few love bites by her clavicle and ribs. Fitz turned on the faucet in the shower and then walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her shoulder.

"Your hair looks crazy," he teased.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Well look who's talking?"

His hair was disheveled as well and he also had a few love bites of his own.

"I'd take crazy hair over the blue balls I've had to struggle with for two years."

Olivia laughed in agreement.

"Yeah, I really needed last night, you have no idea."

He kissed her shoulder again.

"Come on, our kids are waiting downstairs and I wanna have sex with you in the shower before we go."

She laughed as he pulled her into the shower and kissed her as he held her under the showerhead. Once they were both soaking wet he backed her up against the wall and turned her around. She braced herself as he slipped two fingers in to make sure she was wet enough and then entered her. She squealed in delight because after two years of celibacy the feeling of him inside her brought her absolute joy and ecstasy and she couldn't hide it. Fitz cupped her breasts and bite her shoulder as he thrusted from behind and before she knew it they came together braced against the wall.

After their quickie, they showered, brushed their teeth and dressed then headed downstairs to the kitchen. It was just Tabitha, Luna and Lana and a spread of breakfast.

When Lana and Luna saw them they both started screaming.

"Mama!"

"Baba!"

"Hi babies," Olivia said with a smile.

They walked over to Titi, Olivia took Luna, Fitz took Lana. Titi smirked at them both as if she knew what they'd just done.

"Where's Karen and here friends?"

"She took them to show them her horses."

"Oh okay," Fitz said with a shrug.

He kissed Lana and sat with her by the kitchen island.

"Morning baby girl," he said as he kissed her stomach, "Liv, we made some really good looking kids."

Olivia chuckled and sat beside him with Luna.

"So Thomas, what is your plan?" Tabitha asked.

"What do you mean?"

Tabitha took a sip of her tea and sat opposite them on the island.

"Well, no one knows about the twins, you can't keep them hidden forever, I can't believe you kept them from me for so long, I didn't get to see them when they were born, I didn't get to see Olivia when she was pregnant, I mean I just can't believe you'd do that," she scolded.

Olivia was about to say something but Fitz stopped her, he got the sense she was gonna no to fess up to the fact she was the one who didn't tell him but that wouldn't help and he knew Tabitha would get over it sooner or later, especially if they had another baby she could get consumed with.

"I'm really sorry Titi, I don't know what I was thinking."

"I don't know what you were thinking either."

Although the conversation was uncomfortable, Olivia appreciated the fact that Fitz was taking the fall for her but apart of moving forward meant owning up to what she did.

"It was me."

"What?" Tabitha asked, confused.

"Liv-" Fitz protested.

"No, it was me, I didn't tell Fitz about the girls until they were almost 5 months old."

Tabitha was surprised.

"Why did you do that?"

"Bad judgment," Olivia confessed.

"Well he still had seven months, I still blame you Thomas but I think it's noble you didn't rat out your girlfriend, I raised you right."

Fitz laughed.

"So does this mean you'll stop chastising me?"

"No, I never got to see them fresh out the womb, I'm still mad about that."

"Olivia has pictures."

"Oh yes that's right, where are they?"

"I have a bunch of them on my phone."

Olivia reached into pocket and pulled out her phone then proceeded to show her a few pictures of her newborn daughters.

"So, how was it, taking care of twin girls on your own, you know, since deadbeat Thomas over there wasn't present."

Fitz sighed.

"Titi come on," he whined.

Tabitha laughed and so did Olivia.

"I wasn't exactly alone, my best friend Abby was there with practically everyday, she's their godmother and she took that role very seriously, I had a baby nurse for the first month and then my nanny Bonnie helped out but I loved it. When I took them home from the hospital, I thought it was gonna be overwhelming to have two, I had never even changed a diaper before I gave birth so I had no idea what to expect but I have to say being a mom, so far has been amazing. The first month, I completely took off from my firm to just to stay home with them and bond with them and learn how to take care of them and then after the first month I worked from home and then when they were 3 months old I went back to work which wasn't easy, it is not easy being working mom. You worry about them every minute of everyday, I think their nanny wanted to strangle me cause I called her so much during the day when I was supposed to be working."

Tabitha and Fitz laughed.

"How much did they weigh?"

"5 pounds each, they were born at 35 weeks and a half."

"They came early, was it a good delivery?"

Fitz listened intently, these were all questions he never got to ask

"Oh no, it was terrible. I was under the impression that it wouldn't be that bad, let me tell you, it was worse than I imagined possible. I didn't want to take the epidural but when those contractions started getting closer, I had to."

Tabitha chuckled.

"Who was born first?"

"Luna, just a minute before Lana," Olivia turned to Luna and kissed her, "isn't that right pumpkin."

She reached over to Lana and pinched her cheeks.

"Lana is my younger sugar muffin."

Lana giggled and clapped her hands as if she understood what Olivia was saying.

Tabitha cleared her throat and shifted her position.

"Why is Lana's hair so long and Luna's isn't?"

Olivia and Fitz looked at each other, they hadn't told Tabitha about Luna's battle with cancer. She watched to see what Fitz was going to do.

"Luna got diagnosed with leukemia at 5 months, she went through treatment and she's in remission now," Fitz said.

Tabitha's mouth fell open but she didn't say anything for a while then she walked over to Olivia and took Luna and kissed her.

"Oh my poor sweet baby."

Luna giggled and wiggled out of Tabitha's arms and stretched to Olivia.

"Nope, you're staying with me little baby."

She walked back to the other side of the counter with Luna. Olivia expected Luna to fuss but she didn't, she clapped and switched her pacifier around in her mouth and didn't little things to keep herself busy.

"Tell me everything," Tabitha demanded.

Olivia looked to Fitz who gestured for her to go on, she knew he was going to leave her to explain it in her own.

They sat together for almost an hour while Olivia detailed everything that happened leading up to Luna's diagnosis and after. She got the sense that Tabitha wasn't happy about how and when she decided to share Luna's diagnosis with Fitz but she was very subtle about her disapproval.

After the very awkward and gloomy conversation, she decided it was time to get away.

"Fitz, do you wanna take the girls for a walk with me?"

Sensing that she wanted to get away, Fitz agreed.

"Yeah, sure, let's go."

He got up from with chair with Lana and followed Olivia out to the porch.

"Are you okay," he asked as they walked down the trail.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just wanted to talk about what we're going to do next, Tabitha made some good points, we can't keep them hidden forever, we have to figure something out, I haven't watched the news yet but I'm sure they must have pictures from yesterday, floating all around."

"Well, I've kind of been thinking, we conceived the twins a month before I filed for divorce from Mellie but they were born at 35 weeks instead of 40 weeks like a regular presidency so that gives us a month of wiggle room, we could say we conceived them after I filed for divorce which isn't perfect but it's better than saying it was before the filing and no one would be the wiser because they can't really prove that the twins came early."

"I've been thinking about that as well and I think that's good but what about the entire secret relationship, I mean they're about to be a year old, that gonna be a hard pill for people to swallow."

"I'll admit that, so I guess we just have to weigh our options, politically it won't be good not at first, reelections are coming up but depending on how this plays out that might be off the table. I could resign but it would come out anyways and in that case I wouldn't want them to feel like I'm ashamed of them and I resign in disgrace once they're old enough to understand all this, I'd rather them know that I loved them and their mom and when all this came out, we faced this together but if I have to resign I'll do that, if we stay and fight through this, I'll do that too, just tell me what you think?"

Olivia sighed.

"I don't know, this was sort of what I struggled with whenever I thought about telling you, it's difficult either way and you're right, I wouldn't want them to feel like they were the center or some sort of big shame swirl, you know."

"Definitely not."

"What if we," Olivia paused, thinking to herself before she began again, "we could tell them that we remained close friends after I left the whitehouse, after you filed for divorce, we had sex and I got pregnant, you didn't tell anyone because, well, I guess we could say I hid it from you, it takes the blame off you."

They stopped under a large willow tree and sat on the grass under the shade. They both let go of the girls and allowed them to move around in the thick, short blanket of grass under the tree.

"Liv, I'm not letting you take the blame for anything, we're in this together all the way. I'd be more comfortable with telling them that I've always wanted another child and as a close friend of mine for years, we spoke casually about our desire for children, after I filed for divorce, we decided, we could tell them it was rash or planned, but we decided to get pregnant. They'll ask why I kept it a secret or why we kept it a secret and we'd tell them it was a private matter."

"Do you think that'll work?"

"I think, it'll make us seem in control of the situation, people could disagree with our decision to have children out of wedlock, they could disagree with our timing being that it was so soon after the divorce, they could disagree with our decision to keep it a secret but it was our decision, no laws were broken, no conflicts of interest, you don't work for the government, I think that's the best we could hope for. People could be angry and vote me out of office but honestly, I'd be okay with that because being president doesn't compare, not even a fraction of a percentage to the immense amount of joy it brings me to see our little girls everyday, and to know we conceived them out of love and in the face of difficulty, you decided to keep them and love them and nurture them, in my absence, regardless of why I wasn't there."

Olivia smiled.

"You seriously have to kiss me now."

Fitz chuckled and held her face and gave her a wet kiss.

"I think I picked a good baby daddy."

Fitz smiled and looked over to the girls who were crawling around on the grass.

"We have some gorgeous girls," Fitz said casually.

"I know right," Olivia agreed, "I think it's a good plan, do you think we should talk to Cyrus and see what he has to say about all of this."

"I guess so, although if he's negative and starts lecturing, I'll lose it."

"I think he's a changed man."

"Maybe, you can never be too sure with him."

"That's true," she agreed, "I'm not looking forward to all the craziness that's going to ensure in the next few months, at least they're babies, they don't have to go to school and deal with other kids, we can keep them them locked up in the whitehouse but what about Karen?"

"I think Karen will be fine, her school is really good about stuff like that."

They sat out under the tree for a while until the girls began to get cranky because it was time for their nap so they took them back to the house, fed them then put them to bed in Fitz's bedroom.

Karen and her friends came back from horse riding around 1pm but they didn't linger, they just grabbed lunch and then went back out to explore the ranch. Karen was so occupied with entertaining her friends that she didn't bother to look for Fitz and Olivia who were back in the master bedroom. The twins were fast asleep on the huge king sized bed and Fitz thought it was the perfect opportunity to get a good midday quickie in before the twins woke up. He walked up behind Olivia who was leaned over on the bed, checking the twins to make sure they were comfortable in their sleep. He pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her body.

"I think they're fine."

He kissed the crook of her neck and turned her around so she could face him and then he kissed her on the lips as lifted her in the air and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He then walked her over to the couch in the opposite side of the room and leaned her over against the back of the couch. He pulled her dress off and threw it in the floor and then pulled down her underwear quickly because suddenly there was an overwhelming sense of urgency for them both. They weren't all the way off before he gave up and started undoing his pants and pulled them down as well.

"Hurry," Olivia said as she spread her legs a little wider and waited to feel him inside her.

Fitz chuckled, he was moving as fast as he could, he didn't realize Olivia was that aroused. She was wet for him, even before he pulled her off the bed and brought her to the couch. From the minute she realized it was time to put the girls to bed she was thinking of how she was going to spend their free time together. She spent two years being celibate and now she was ravenous, and rightfully so.

Once Fitz had his pants down, he quickly felt between her legs to make sure she was aroused enough and then he slid his cock in slowly.

Olivia was beside herself, she couldn't describe how good it felt to experience him that way again after almost two years. They both came way too quick for their liking but the combination of excitement and want was just too strong for them to hold out.

After they'd made themselves decent, they both laid on the couch waiting for the twins to wake up.

"When do we leave?"

"At 3."

She sat up.

"What?"

"Yeah, it's Sunday, I have work tomorrow. Camp is over for Karen and her friends so they'll just be running around in her room and then I think they go home on Tuesday, I have to ask Karen."

"Oh okay, we have an hour till we leave then. The girls should be waking up in a few minutes. Who's getting Karen and her friends ready?"

"The Nannys."

"Okay Richie Rich," she teased.

"Do you wanna babysit Karen and her friends?"

"Of course not."

Fitz laughed.

"That's what I thought."

She laughed and they laid together until the girls woke up and shortly after feeding them, they gathered their belongings and headed back to D.C.


End file.
